Collectivism/individualism and its relationship to behavioral and physiological immunity

Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine
Susan G BrownDaniel Reed Lucas

Abstract

The interaction between the behavioral and physiological immune systems provides fertile ground for research. Here, we examine the interactions between fear of disease, collectivism/individualism, disgust, visual perception and salivary IgA. First, we parsed collectivism/individualism into ancestry and psychological processes and examined their relationships to fear of disease. Both ancestral and psychological collectivists scored higher on a test of hypochondria than individualists. Additionally, in two studies we exposed participants to slides of diseased, injured or healthy individuals. Diseased and injured stimuli were rated as equally disgusting, while diseased stimuli were rated as more disgusting than healthy stimuli. We measured salivary IgA in participants before and after they viewed the stimuli. Participants provided information on their ancestral collectivism or individualism. Salivary IgA levels increased after participants viewed images of diseased or injured individuals. Participants with collectivist ancestry tended to react to the diseased and injured images with an increase in IgA, while levels of IgA remained the same or decreased in individualists in one study but we failed to replicate the effect in the sec...Continue Reading

References

May 16, 2000·The Journal of Social Psychology·L Eaton, J Louw
May 20, 2003·Nature Immunology·Hideo YasukawaAkihiko Yoshimura
Feb 28, 2008·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Corey L FincherMark Schaller
Mar 4, 2009·Psychological Bulletin·Megan OatenTrevor I Case
May 14, 2009·Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management·Hideki HasegawaTakeshi Kurata
Jan 5, 2011·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Valerie CurtisRobert Aunger
Mar 29, 2011·Archivum Immunologiae Et Therapiae Experimentalis·Erin E McClelland, Jennifer M Smith
Feb 8, 2013·Human Nature : an Interdisciplinary Biosocial Perspective·Elizabeth Cashdan, Matthew Steele

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Methods Mentioned

BETA
amputation
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

Software Mentioned

SPSS

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.

Related Papers

The Western Journal of Medicine
E Palmer
The British Journal of Social Psychology
Andreas KastenmüllerDieter Frey
© 2022 Meta ULC. All rights reserved