engleski

Do islanders have a more reactive behavioral immune system? Social cognitions and preferred interpersonal distances during the COVID-19 pandemic

Insular populations have traditionally drawn a lot of attention from epidemiologists as they provide important insights regarding transmission of infectious diseases. There are numerous historical instances where isolated populations showed high morbidity once a new virus entered the population. Building upon that and recent findings that the activation of the behavioral immune system (BIS) depends both upon one’s vulnerability and environmental context, we postulated that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, place of residence (island vs. mainland) plays a role in BIS activation. The study was conducted online, on Croatian residents, during the lockdown in spring 2020. The BIS variables contributed significantly to preferred interpersonal distances, negative emotions towards strangers, and willingness to punish those who do not adhere to COVID-19 preventive measures. Islanders preferred larger social distances and had more negative emotions toward foreigners. As Croatian islands are frequent travel destinations, these differences between mainlanders and islanders cannot be explained by the lack of exposure to foreigners. Additionally, we found that scores on preferred interpersonal distances, and BIS variables were significantly higher compared to pre-COVID-19 scores. Taken together, our results support the notion that BIS is a highly adaptive and context-dependent response system, likely more reactive in more susceptible individuals.

BIS ; pandemic ; social cognitions

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