In Europe, the COVID-19 pandemic seems to be easing, but the anxiety it induced can have deep implications for our society. Research in evolutionary psychology links our instinct to be cautious and avoidant during pandemics with greater prejudice and exclusion of others increasing racism and extremism.
The idea how this response develops comes from the behavioural-immune-system concept described by Mark Schaller at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. This response system has evolved over time to avoid infectious diseases and parasites. It protects us from harm by triggering unpleasant sensations or memories to promote avoidance or removal of questionable material from our bodies. Similarly, as humans started living in large communities, they started to minimise communication among people as a form of intuitive social distancing.
While this instinctive caution might have helped ancestral humans, these reactions may also be diverted to unrelated issues. These feelings may change the way we see the environment and current events, prompting greater conformism and tribalism. Schaller’s studies have illustrated this trend, with individuals showing greater levels of compliance and adherence to official guidelines as their anxiety levels heightened. Country leaders like Trump, Putin and Bolsonaro are exploiting this phenomena to entrench their power.
Conformity affects people’s judgement. Schaller’s research showed that creative and innovative qualities are considered of less value as people link them to endangering one’s health by breaking the rules. Similar logic leads to greater mistrust towards ‘outsiders’. Lene Aarøe at Aarhus University in Denmark studied this phenomenon which correlates the behavioural immune system with political and social issues. Mistrust on a tribal level ends up leading to racial prejudice and xenophobia, which can cause greater harm than they do ‘safeguard’ from unwanted contamination.
The global pandemic has had a much bigger impact than the individuals who have sadly been afflicted. The global pandemic has led to far-reaching uncertainty and fear instigated to ‘protect’ against sickness. The underlying reason is not rational but a misinterpreted response spawning from millennia of dealing with contagious diseases that sadly lead to more racism and extremism.
Sound bites
• Researchers at the University College London found that looking at red light of a specific wavelength can counteract declining eyesight. With age, the sensitivity of our retina and our colour vision becomes worse. The research shows that looking at a deep red LED light for three minutes improved the colour vision of people above age 40.
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200629120241.htm
• A ‘membrane on a chip’ has been developed that can be used to test drugs on different types of cells. The device measures changes in a membrane which can be extracted from a human cell, bacteria or even a virus. Ideally, this technology will help to streamline the research and development process of new drugs, including ones for COVID-19.
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200706113952.htm
For more science news, listen to Radio Mocha on Radju Malta and www.fb.com/RadioMochaMalta/
Did you know?
• Crickets can pass on trauma to their offspring.
• The suicidal nature of lemmings is a myth and the 1958 documentary footage of it is entirely fabricated.
• Ostriches may not actually stick their heads in the sand but they do lay flat on the ground so their bodies appear like bushes.
• Parrots are not the only birds that can learn human speech ‒ songbirds, eurasian jays and starlings can pick up words and songs even in the wild.
• The slowest-growing plant in the world is the saguaro cactus, which grows a third of a centimetre per year.
• The fastest-growing plant is bamboo, with up to 10 centimetres per day.
• Ant nests can get infested by ants.
For more trivia see: www.um.edu.mt/think