Signaling sickness: the role of recalled sickness behavior and psychosocial factors in shaping communication style.
health communication
infectious disease
sickness behavior
signaling
stoicism
Journal
Evolution, medicine, and public health
ISSN: 2050-6201
Titre abrégé: Evol Med Public Health
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101616698
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
2021
2021
Historique:
received:
25
08
2020
received:
09
06
2021
accepted:
09
06
2021
entrez:
19
8
2021
pubmed:
20
8
2021
medline:
20
8
2021
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
Active infection results in several outward signs in humans, including visible symptoms, changes in behavior and possible alterations in skin color and gait. A potential adaptive function of these indicators is to signal distress and elicit care from close others. We hypothesized that sickness behavior, a suite of stereotypical changes in mood and behavior, also serves to communicate health status to others. We further hypothesized that such outward signals/cues of health status would vary based on context and sociocultural norms. We explored self-reported, recalled sickness behavior, communication style, demographics and theoretically relevant cultural factors in a large national US sample ( In accordance with predictions, relatively few participants were willing to talk or complain about sickness to strangers. Self-reported, recalled sickness behavior was associated with some communication styles but attention received from others was more consistently associated with potential signaling. Several cultural factors, including stoicism and traditional machismo, were also associated with different sickness signaling styles. These preliminary, self-reported data lend some tentative support to the sickness behavior signaling hypothesis, though experimental or observational support is needed. The role of cultural norms in shaping how such signals are transmitted and received also deserves further attention as they may have important implications for disease transmission. Evolutionary medicine hypothesizes that signs and symptoms of infectious disease-including sickness behavior-have adaptive functions, one of which might be to reliably signal one's health status to others. Our results suggest that evolved signals like these are likely shaped by cultural factors.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVE
Active infection results in several outward signs in humans, including visible symptoms, changes in behavior and possible alterations in skin color and gait. A potential adaptive function of these indicators is to signal distress and elicit care from close others. We hypothesized that sickness behavior, a suite of stereotypical changes in mood and behavior, also serves to communicate health status to others. We further hypothesized that such outward signals/cues of health status would vary based on context and sociocultural norms.
METHODOLOGY
METHODS
We explored self-reported, recalled sickness behavior, communication style, demographics and theoretically relevant cultural factors in a large national US sample (
RESULTS
RESULTS
In accordance with predictions, relatively few participants were willing to talk or complain about sickness to strangers. Self-reported, recalled sickness behavior was associated with some communication styles but attention received from others was more consistently associated with potential signaling. Several cultural factors, including stoicism and traditional machismo, were also associated with different sickness signaling styles.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
CONCLUSIONS
These preliminary, self-reported data lend some tentative support to the sickness behavior signaling hypothesis, though experimental or observational support is needed. The role of cultural norms in shaping how such signals are transmitted and received also deserves further attention as they may have important implications for disease transmission.
LAY SUMMARY
BACKGROUND
Evolutionary medicine hypothesizes that signs and symptoms of infectious disease-including sickness behavior-have adaptive functions, one of which might be to reliably signal one's health status to others. Our results suggest that evolved signals like these are likely shaped by cultural factors.
Identifiants
pubmed: 34408880
doi: 10.1093/emph/eoab017
pii: eoab017
pmc: PMC8364984
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Pagination
221-231Informations de copyright
© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Foundation for Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health.
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