Does the Behavioral Immune System Prepare Females to Be Religiously Conservative and Collectivistic?

Previous research has indicated that females are more likely than males to endorse collectivistic values and religious conservatism. The present research investigated an evolutionary explanation for these sex differences. More specifically, the sex differences in social conservatism may be due to va...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Personality & social psychology bulletin 2014-02, Vol.40 (2), p.189-202
Main Authors: Terrizzi, John A., Clay, Russ, Shook, Natalie J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Psychological
Adolescent
Adult
Collectivism
Conservatism
Female
Gender differences
Humans
Immune response system
Male
Middle Aged
Politics
Religion
Religious aspects
Sex Factors
Social conservatism
Social Perception
Social psychology
Values
Young Adult
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Summary:Previous research has indicated that females are more likely than males to endorse collectivistic values and religious conservatism. The present research investigated an evolutionary explanation for these sex differences. More specifically, the sex differences in social conservatism may be due to variation in the behavioral immune system (BIS). The BIS is a set of psychological mechanisms that are proposed to be evolved solutions to disease threat. Four studies were conducted to examine this evolutionary explanation. In Study 1, BIS measures (e.g., disgust sensitivity) fully mediated sex differences in collectivism. This effect was specific to sexual disgust (Study 2). In Studies 3 and 4, the effect was extended to other forms of social conservatism (i.e., religious conservatism) and measures of the BIS. Together, these results suggest that sex differences in collectivism and religious conservatism may be explained in part by sex differences in the BIS.
ISSN:0146-1672
1552-7433
DOI:10.1177/0146167213508792