Subscribe
The latest psychology and neuroscience discoveries.
My Account
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Psychopharmacology
No Result
View All Result
PsyPost
PsyPost
No Result
View All Result
Home Exclusive Social Psychology

Study links body odor disgust sensitivity with negative attitudes towards immigration

by Christian Rigg
March 26, 2020
in Social Psychology

[Follow PsyPost on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in psychology and neuroscience]

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Prejudice, especially towards immigration and immigrants, is a complex psychological phenomenon. While we’re still a long way from understanding why some people harbor strong negative feelings towards dissimilar others, the results of a study published in Physiology & Behavior suggest that it may be at least partially rooted in sensory mechanisms — that is, the way we perceive the world through our senses.

Participants were 805 Amazon Mechanical Turk users who completed the Body Odor Disgust Sensitivity questionnaire, a 12-item scale measuring sensitivity to body odors based on various scenarios (e.g. noticing someone’s feet have a strong odor). In addition, subjects were asked a series of questions relating to a fictive Central African population hoping to immigrate to the United States. The questionnaire included items related to transmission of disease, criminality, and dissimilarity in terms of food, hygiene and sanitation.

The study’s theoretical framework is provided by the Behavioral Immune System theory, which suggests that generalized negative attitudes towards dissimilar groups may be part of a broader suite of behaviors that allows individuals to detect and avoid diseases. According to the theory, the detection of a perceived threat via sensory perception (e.g. seeing pustules, smelling rot) triggers cognitive and behavioral responses, including disgust. Over time, this system would have been incorporated into social norms and, according to the researchers, can manifest as prejudice towards others.

The findings of their study lend support to this hypothesis. A statistically significant correlation was found between body odor disgust and xenophobic attitudes towards the fictive, dissimilar group. Additionally, perceived dissimilarity partially mediated the relationship between body odor disgust and xenophobic attitudes. In other words, participants who felt more dissimilar from the fictive Central African group, based on diet, hygiene and sanitation, were more likely to assume that they would bring disease and criminality with them to America. Finally, this negative attitude towards the fictive group predicted actual opposition among participants to immigration.

“Our results strengthen the theoretical framework of the behavioral immune system which assumes that disease avoidance may underlie some forms of prejudice, suggesting also that reluctance to accept unfamiliar practices in basic aspects of life may at least partially explain this link,” the researchers wrote in their study.

The sample population was limited to American participants, and the study’s results, plus any related social norms, behaviors and prejudices, should be considered in light of this restriction. Additionally, socioeconomic factors, which are known to correlate with opposition to immigration, were not taken into consideration.

Studies like this help us better understand where prejudicial and xenophobic attitudes come from, and how cognitive and behavioral systems mediate their entry into social norms.

The study, “Body odor disgust sensitivity is associated with prejudice towards a fictive group of immigrants“, was authored by Zakrzewska Marta, Olofsson Jonas K, Lindholm Torun, Blomkvist Anna, and Liuzza Marco Tullio.

ShareTweetSendScanShareSharePin1Send
Previous Post

New research sheds light on how the desire for commitment influences relationships

Next Post

A divergence of sexual desires in newlywed couples predicts lower marital satisfaction

STAY CONNECTED

TRENDING

Scientists raise concerns about the potential link between chronic microdosing of psychedelics and valvular heart disease

Study suggests lack of positive feelings during social interactions could help explain isolation in people with suicidality

Anxiously attached individuals have stronger cortisol reactivity when anticipating a conflict with a partner

New psychology research shows how narcissistic tendencies influence perceptions of intellectual humility

Interesting link between self-alienation and death anxiety uncovered by new psychology research

Contrary to popular belief, recent psychology findings suggest aggression isn’t always tied to a lack of self-control

RECENT

Interesting link between self-alienation and death anxiety uncovered by new psychology research

Lifestyle pages on Facebook are a significant contributor to the spread of fake news, study finds

Shy teens with shy best friends might be more prone to depression, study finds

Single-session exposure therapy: A game-changer for phobia treatment?

Scientists raise concerns about the potential link between chronic microdosing of psychedelics and valvular heart disease

Anxiously attached individuals have stronger cortisol reactivity when anticipating a conflict with a partner

Study suggests lack of positive feelings during social interactions could help explain isolation in people with suicidality

Contrary to popular belief, recent psychology findings suggest aggression isn’t always tied to a lack of self-control

Currently Playing

Study identifies factors that influence the link between men’s body esteem and their ability to enjoy their sexuality

Study identifies factors that influence the link between men’s body esteem and their ability to enjoy their sexuality

Study identifies factors that influence the link between men’s body esteem and their ability to enjoy their sexuality

Body Image and Body Dysmorphia
New psychology research shows how narcissistic tendencies influence perceptions of intellectual humility

New psychology research shows how narcissistic tendencies influence perceptions of intellectual humility

Narcissism
Unintended pregnancies take a toll on the mental health of new fathers

Unintended pregnancies take a toll on the mental health of new fathers

Mental Health
New study provides insight into the psychological core of dark personality traits

Four distinct trajectories of psychopathic traits identified among youth in the legal system

Psychopathy
Social working memory abnormalities may be a neurocognitive mechanism underlying poorer social connection in PTSD

Exposure to wood smoke leads to complex and long-lasting neuroinflammatory and neurometabolomic alterations

Mental Health
People who were better supervised by parents as early adolescents tend to have higher earnings as adults

People who were better supervised by parents as early adolescents tend to have higher earnings as adults

Business
  • Cognitive Science
  • COVID-19
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Drug Research
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • Meditation
  • Psychology of Religion
  • Aviation Psychology and Human Factors
  • Relationships and Sexual Health
  • Evolutionary Psychology
  • Neuroimaging
  • Psychedelic Drugs
  • Dark Triad
  • Political Psychology

About

PsyPost is a psychology and neuroscience news website dedicated to reporting the latest research on human behavior, cognition, and society. (READ MORE...)

  • Contact us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms and Conditions
Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Cognitive Science Research
  • Mental Health Research
  • Social Psychology Research
  • Drug Research
  • Relationship Research
  • About PsyPost
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist