The Behavioral Immune System: Implications for Social Cognition, Social Interaction, and Social Influence

The “behavioral immune system” is a motivational system that evolved as a means of inhibiting contact with disease-causing parasites and that, in contemporary human societies, influences social cognition and social behavior. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the behavioral immune system and how it works, along with a review of empirical research documenting its consequences for a wide range of social psychological phenomena—including person perception, interpersonal attraction, intergroup prejudice, social influence, andmoral judgment. We also describe further consequences for health, for politics and public policy, and for cultural differences. Finally, we discuss a variety of broader implications—both practical and conceptual—and identify some important directions for future research.