[BERG] 26.04.2017: Paxton Culpepper- assortative social features of the behavioural immune system

[Eoin O'Sullivan]

Dear BERGers,


This Wednesday, 26th,  we have PhD candidate Paxton Culpepper giving a talk entitled:


"Experimentally testing the main assortative social features of the behavioural immune system."


After Paxton's talk we will be going to the Allanwater Brewhouse to celebrate the end of semester (http://bridgeofallan.co.uk/), so please do join us?. All are welcome!


I look forward to seeing you then!


Eoin?


The Relationship between the Behavioural Immune System, Assortative Sociality and Religiosity
Throughout evolutionary history humans have evolved psychological mechanisms fashioned to solve adaptive problems of survival. Parasite-stress has been a major adaptive problem throughout the evolutionary history of all animals, including humans. Evidence suggests that humans have evolved a behavioural immune system, which includes the emotion disgust, to motivate avoidance of potential threats of infectious microorganisms and individuals who may carry them. Throughout ancestral history out-group individuals were most likely carrying pathogens to which the locals were not immunologically adapted, thus leading to in-group-out/group bias via assortative social behaviours such as philopatry, ethnocentrism, and xenophobia. It is argued that these behaviours facilitated isolation between groups, which led not only to genetic divergence, but to a divergence in beliefs, practices and values - the 'genesis' of religion and religious diversity. Correlational evidence supports this theory - I am currently experimentally testing the theory.

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