This doesn't surprise me at all. If dogs can be trained to detect cancer, then there must be all kinds of cues for health and sickness that we've also picked up via evolution, even if they are...
This doesn't surprise me at all. If dogs can be trained to detect cancer, then there must be all kinds of cues for health and sickness that we've also picked up via evolution, even if they are very subtle. In fact they'd almost have to be subconscious, given the fact that our bodies are fighting off infections all the time.
I wonder how much if any concious-unconcious interplay is at work here. In the study, the test subjects were focused on and thus conciously thinking about the perceived threat, but it would be...
I wonder how much if any concious-unconcious interplay is at work here. In the study, the test subjects were focused on and thus conciously thinking about the perceived threat, but it would be interesting to see if the same thing happens in various real life scenarios where the ill person isn’t the focal point.
Some people pay no mind at all to others around them mildy sneezing and coughing, while others are hyperconcious of it. This could produce differing levels of immune response. In a situation like someone a few seats away from you on a flight sneezing for example, the first person might not have noticed the sneeze at all while the latter might be thinking about how they’re going to deal with potentially falling ill a day or two after arriving at their destination.
I just read the article, not the study, but my assumption is they didn't know why they were being shown the faces. I do think it would be interesting to ask people to identify on a scale of...
In the study, the test subjects were focused on and thus conciously thinking about the perceived threat,
I just read the article, not the study, but my assumption is they didn't know why they were being shown the faces.
I do think it would be interesting to ask people to identify on a scale of germophobic to cares-not-at-all and see if their physical reactions were different.
I wonder how much if any concious-unconcious interplay is at work here.
The more time goes by, the more I think that some significant fraction of our behavior is just the body reacting in some way below the level of consciousness and our minds supplying a post hoc narrative to try to make it make sense.
This doesn't surprise me at all. If dogs can be trained to detect cancer, then there must be all kinds of cues for health and sickness that we've also picked up via evolution, even if they are very subtle. In fact they'd almost have to be subconscious, given the fact that our bodies are fighting off infections all the time.
I wonder how much if any concious-unconcious interplay is at work here. In the study, the test subjects were focused on and thus conciously thinking about the perceived threat, but it would be interesting to see if the same thing happens in various real life scenarios where the ill person isn’t the focal point.
Some people pay no mind at all to others around them mildy sneezing and coughing, while others are hyperconcious of it. This could produce differing levels of immune response. In a situation like someone a few seats away from you on a flight sneezing for example, the first person might not have noticed the sneeze at all while the latter might be thinking about how they’re going to deal with potentially falling ill a day or two after arriving at their destination.
I just read the article, not the study, but my assumption is they didn't know why they were being shown the faces.
I do think it would be interesting to ask people to identify on a scale of germophobic to cares-not-at-all and see if their physical reactions were different.
The more time goes by, the more I think that some significant fraction of our behavior is just the body reacting in some way below the level of consciousness and our minds supplying a post hoc narrative to try to make it make sense.
Study https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-025-02008-y (open access)