The Effect Of Behavioral Immune System On Medical Treatment Behavior

The behavioral immune system is an ancient mechanism in which there is no modern medicine.It is selected from the recurring disease pressures in the evolutionary environment.It activates its own aversion to counter the possible pathogens and disease infections in the external environment.When modern medicine develops,the behavioral immune system has long evolved,so the behavioral immune system may lack evolutionary adaptability to modern medicine.In the modern medical environment,the process of medical treatment is likely to require medication or injection or even surgery,and may also be exposed to other people's excrement and body fluids.Therefore,in the modern medical environment,the environmental information that individuals are exposed to during medical treatment is likely to be recognized as a disease infection clue by the behavioral immune system,making the individual more cautious in the process of seeking medical care,and the activated immune system may have a negative impact on the individual's medical treatment behavior.This study examined this hypothesis through four studies.Study 1 examined the relationship between individual differences in behavioral immune system activation levels and medical attitudes.The results showed that individuals with higher aversion sensitivity had a more negative attitude toward medical treatment;Study 2 examined the relationship between individual differences in behavioral immune system activation levels and medical treatment behaviors.The results showed that individuals with higher aversion sensitivity are more likely to delay medical treatment,and this relationship is not mediated by the individual's understanding of the disease and self-recognition of the severity of the disease.Study 3 and Study 4 use the relevant clues to initiate the individual's disgust emotion and further examine the effects of activation of the behavioral immune system on individual medical attitudes and trends in medical behavior.Study 3 found that when the external disease cues were enhanced,the behavioral immune system would have a negative impact on the individual's attitude toward medical treatment,making the individual less willing to go to the doctor.Study 4 found that when the external disease cues increased,the behavioral immune system also had a negative impact on the individual's tendency to seek medical treatment,making the individual more inclined to delay medical treatment,and this relationship is not mediated by the individual's understanding of the disease and self-recognition of the severity of the disease.The results support the hypothesis that the activation of behavioral immune system will lead to negative attitudes towards medical treatment,and tend to delay medical treatment,enriching the theory of behavioral immune system.At the same time,we have a better understanding of individual medical treatment behavior from the evolutionary point of view.