I see sick people: Beliefs about sensory detection of infectious disease are largely consistent across cultures
1
Issued Date
2025-08-01
Resource Type
ISSN
08891591
eISSN
10902139
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-105005438854
Pubmed ID
40274004
Journal Title
Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
Volume
128
Start Page
737
End Page
750
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Brain, Behavior, and Immunity Vol.128 (2025) , 737-750
Suggested Citation
Ackerman J.M., Samore T., Fessler D.M.T., Kupfer T.R., Choi S., Merrell W.N., Aarøe L., Aavik T., Acabado S., Akello G., Alfian I.N., Al-Shawaf L., Alvarez M.M., Ammann J., Arikan G., Asha S.A., Astobiza A.M., Baeza-Ugarte C.G., Barclay P., Barlow F.K., Bizarro L., Bressan P., Castellanos-Chacón A., Choy B.K.C., Chusairi A., Contreras-Garduño J., Chávez Cosamalón B.L., Costa-Neves B., De M., de Lima T.J.S., de Zoysa P., Dryžaitė I., Elbæk C.T., Fedor P., Fernández A.M., Fernandez-Morales R., Fülöp M., Gamsakhurdia V.L., Garcia-Gómez L., Garcia-Marques L., Garduño-Franco J., Pilar Grazioso M.d., Habacht F., Hasan Y., Haugestad C.P., Haugestad C.A.P., Havlíček J., Hernandez E.J., Hoang V.M., Hong M., Hromatko I., Iliško D., Imada H., Jakšić I., Jarmakowski T., Hjördísar Jónsdóttir H.L., Kajokaite K., Kaňková Š., Kervyn N., Kim J.P., Kunst J.R., Laakasuo M., Leongómez J.D., Li N.P., Lu J., Lynch N., Maegli M.A., Manley H., Marcu G., McAfee T., Mitkidis P., Molnár N.B., Morvinski C., Muhamad H., Nejat P., Huy H.N., Oliveira A.N., Olsson M.J., Onyishi C.N., Onyishi I.E., Orozco R., Otterbring T., Ottersen I.S., Pacheco-López G., Panagiotopoulou P., Paniagua W., Parvin R., Pavlović Z., Prokop P., Raffman E., Rizwan M., Rojas S., Różycka-Tran J., Sánchez O.R., Selim H., Sevi B., Shani Y., Shastry M.S., Stieger S., Suh E.M. I see sick people: Beliefs about sensory detection of infectious disease are largely consistent across cultures. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity Vol.128 (2025) , 737-750. 750. doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2025.04.020 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/110345
Title
I see sick people: Beliefs about sensory detection of infectious disease are largely consistent across cultures
Author(s)
Ackerman J.M.
Samore T.
Fessler D.M.T.
Kupfer T.R.
Choi S.
Merrell W.N.
Aarøe L.
Aavik T.
Acabado S.
Akello G.
Alfian I.N.
Al-Shawaf L.
Alvarez M.M.
Ammann J.
Arikan G.
Asha S.A.
Astobiza A.M.
Baeza-Ugarte C.G.
Barclay P.
Barlow F.K.
Bizarro L.
Bressan P.
Castellanos-Chacón A.
Choy B.K.C.
Chusairi A.
Contreras-Garduño J.
Chávez Cosamalón B.L.
Costa-Neves B.
De M.
de Lima T.J.S.
de Zoysa P.
Dryžaitė I.
Elbæk C.T.
Fedor P.
Fernández A.M.
Fernandez-Morales R.
Fülöp M.
Gamsakhurdia V.L.
Garcia-Gómez L.
Garcia-Marques L.
Garduño-Franco J.
Pilar Grazioso M.d.
Habacht F.
Hasan Y.
Haugestad C.P.
Haugestad C.A.P.
Havlíček J.
Hernandez E.J.
Hoang V.M.
Hong M.
Hromatko I.
Iliško D.
Imada H.
Jakšić I.
Jarmakowski T.
Hjördísar Jónsdóttir H.L.
Kajokaite K.
Kaňková Š.
Kervyn N.
Kim J.P.
Kunst J.R.
Laakasuo M.
Leongómez J.D.
Li N.P.
Lu J.
Lynch N.
Maegli M.A.
Manley H.
Marcu G.
McAfee T.
Mitkidis P.
Molnár N.B.
Morvinski C.
Muhamad H.
Nejat P.
Huy H.N.
Oliveira A.N.
Olsson M.J.
Onyishi C.N.
Onyishi I.E.
Orozco R.
Otterbring T.
Ottersen I.S.
Pacheco-López G.
Panagiotopoulou P.
Paniagua W.
Parvin R.
Pavlović Z.
Prokop P.
Raffman E.
Rizwan M.
Rojas S.
Różycka-Tran J.
Sánchez O.R.
Selim H.
Sevi B.
Shani Y.
Shastry M.S.
Stieger S.
Suh E.M.
Samore T.
Fessler D.M.T.
Kupfer T.R.
Choi S.
Merrell W.N.
Aarøe L.
Aavik T.
Acabado S.
Akello G.
Alfian I.N.
Al-Shawaf L.
Alvarez M.M.
Ammann J.
Arikan G.
Asha S.A.
Astobiza A.M.
Baeza-Ugarte C.G.
Barclay P.
Barlow F.K.
Bizarro L.
Bressan P.
Castellanos-Chacón A.
Choy B.K.C.
Chusairi A.
Contreras-Garduño J.
Chávez Cosamalón B.L.
Costa-Neves B.
De M.
de Lima T.J.S.
de Zoysa P.
Dryžaitė I.
Elbæk C.T.
Fedor P.
Fernández A.M.
Fernandez-Morales R.
Fülöp M.
Gamsakhurdia V.L.
Garcia-Gómez L.
Garcia-Marques L.
Garduño-Franco J.
Pilar Grazioso M.d.
Habacht F.
Hasan Y.
Haugestad C.P.
Haugestad C.A.P.
Havlíček J.
Hernandez E.J.
Hoang V.M.
Hong M.
Hromatko I.
Iliško D.
Imada H.
Jakšić I.
Jarmakowski T.
Hjördísar Jónsdóttir H.L.
Kajokaite K.
Kaňková Š.
Kervyn N.
Kim J.P.
Kunst J.R.
Laakasuo M.
Leongómez J.D.
Li N.P.
Lu J.
Lynch N.
Maegli M.A.
Manley H.
Marcu G.
McAfee T.
Mitkidis P.
Molnár N.B.
Morvinski C.
Muhamad H.
Nejat P.
Huy H.N.
Oliveira A.N.
Olsson M.J.
Onyishi C.N.
Onyishi I.E.
Orozco R.
Otterbring T.
Ottersen I.S.
Pacheco-López G.
Panagiotopoulou P.
Paniagua W.
Parvin R.
Pavlović Z.
Prokop P.
Raffman E.
Rizwan M.
Rojas S.
Różycka-Tran J.
Sánchez O.R.
Selim H.
Sevi B.
Shani Y.
Shastry M.S.
Stieger S.
Suh E.M.
Author's Affiliation
Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology
Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences
National University of Medical Sciences
HELP University
Louvain School of Management
Department of Social Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University
UNAM Campus Morelia
Department of Psychology
Gulu University
Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Lerma
International University of Business Agriculture and Technology
Faculdade de Psicologia da Universidade de Lisboa
MEF University
Universitetet i Agder
Ministry of Defence, Government of Singapore
Universidad Francisco Marroquin
Universidad del Valle de Guatemala
University of Cuenca
Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University
Vietnam National University, Hanoi
Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru
Haskoli Islands
University of Colombo
Daugavpils University
Universidad El Bosque
Universitas Airlangga
Tartu Ülikool
University of Belgrade
Vytautas Magnus University
Shahid Beheshti University
University of Wisconsin-Madison
University of Patras
The University of Queensland
Aarhus Universitet
Universiti Malaya
Chulalongkorn University
Universidad de Granada
University of California, Los Angeles
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Institute of Zoology Slovak Academy of Sciences
Uniwersytet Gdański
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
University of Nigeria
Universidade de Brasília
Universidad de Santiago de Chile
Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu
Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa
Institute for Psychology, Budapest
Royal Holloway, University of London
Singapore Management University
Yale School of Medicine
University of Otago
Yonsei University
Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas
Charles University
University of Guelph
Universitatea Lucian Blaga din Sibiu
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
King Saud University
Mahidol University
Karolinska Institutet
Trinity College Dublin
University of Kent
Universitetet i Oslo
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
University of Zagreb
Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias
Handelshøyskolen BI
Turun yliopisto
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
Nottingham Trent University
Max-Planck-Institut für Evolutionäre Anthropologie
Tel Aviv University
Forschungsanstalt Agroscope Changins-Wadenswil
Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana
Università degli Studi di Padova
Intercontinetal University
PB Kaunas County Public Library (Oak Grow Library)
Sustainability and Education Policy Network
State University of Medical and Applied Sciences
Proyecto Aigle Guatemala
Hospital Júlio de Matos
Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences
National University of Medical Sciences
HELP University
Louvain School of Management
Department of Social Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University
UNAM Campus Morelia
Department of Psychology
Gulu University
Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Lerma
International University of Business Agriculture and Technology
Faculdade de Psicologia da Universidade de Lisboa
MEF University
Universitetet i Agder
Ministry of Defence, Government of Singapore
Universidad Francisco Marroquin
Universidad del Valle de Guatemala
University of Cuenca
Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University
Vietnam National University, Hanoi
Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru
Haskoli Islands
University of Colombo
Daugavpils University
Universidad El Bosque
Universitas Airlangga
Tartu Ülikool
University of Belgrade
Vytautas Magnus University
Shahid Beheshti University
University of Wisconsin-Madison
University of Patras
The University of Queensland
Aarhus Universitet
Universiti Malaya
Chulalongkorn University
Universidad de Granada
University of California, Los Angeles
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Institute of Zoology Slovak Academy of Sciences
Uniwersytet Gdański
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
University of Nigeria
Universidade de Brasília
Universidad de Santiago de Chile
Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu
Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa
Institute for Psychology, Budapest
Royal Holloway, University of London
Singapore Management University
Yale School of Medicine
University of Otago
Yonsei University
Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas
Charles University
University of Guelph
Universitatea Lucian Blaga din Sibiu
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
King Saud University
Mahidol University
Karolinska Institutet
Trinity College Dublin
University of Kent
Universitetet i Oslo
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
University of Zagreb
Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias
Handelshøyskolen BI
Turun yliopisto
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
Nottingham Trent University
Max-Planck-Institut für Evolutionäre Anthropologie
Tel Aviv University
Forschungsanstalt Agroscope Changins-Wadenswil
Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana
Università degli Studi di Padova
Intercontinetal University
PB Kaunas County Public Library (Oak Grow Library)
Sustainability and Education Policy Network
State University of Medical and Applied Sciences
Proyecto Aigle Guatemala
Hospital Júlio de Matos
Corresponding Author(s)
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Identifying cues to contagious disease is critical for effectively tracking and defending against interpersonal infection threats. People hold lay beliefs about the types of sensory information most relevant for identifying whether others are sick with transmissible illnesses. Are these beliefs universal, or do they vary along cultural and ecological dimensions? Participants in 58 countries (N = 19,217) judged how effective, and how likely they were to use, cues involving each of the five major sensory modalities in an imagined social interaction during a flu outbreak. Belief patterns were strongly consistent across countries (sight > audition > touch > smell > taste), suggesting a largely universal conceptualization of the role of sensory information for interpersonal respiratory disease detection. Results also support a safe senses hypothesis, with perceivers reporting that they would use senses that function at a distance—and thus reduce pathogen transmission risk—more than would be expected given participants’ beliefs as to the efficacy of these senses for disease detection. Where societal variation did emerge, it was captured by a cohesive set of socio-ecological factors, including human development, latitude, pathogen prevalence, and population density. Together, these findings reveal a shared lens through which contagious respiratory disease is assessed, one that prioritizes minimizing risk to perceivers, and may offer leverage for designing interventions to improve public health.