Testing the effects of pathogen threat and sexual strategies on political ideology. (14th September 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Shook, Natalie J.; Oosterhoff, Benjamin
• Editors: Petersen, Michael Bang; Tybur, Joshua M.; Stewart, Patrick A.
• Is Part Of: Politics and the life sciences. Volume 39:Number 2(2020)
• Page Start: 187
• Page End: 199
• Publication Date: 2020-09-14
• Subjects: Pathogen threat, -- behavioral immune system, -- sexual strategies, -- political ideology, -- disgust; Biopolitics -- Periodicals; Human behavior -- Periodicals; Biology -- Periodicals; Political science -- Periodicals; 320.01
• DOI: 10.1017/pls.2020.19
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0730-9384

Abstract

Abstract : Disgust has been consistently associated with greater political conservatism. Two explanations have been proposed for this link. According to a pathogen threat model, disgust serves a pathogen-avoidance function, encouraging more conservative ideology, whereas a sexual strategies model suggests that this link is explained by variability in short-term versus long-term mating goals. In two preregistered studies using a college student and community sample (total N = 1, 950), we examined whether experimentally manipulating pathogen threat and mate availability produced differences in political ideology and whether these differences were explained by disgust and sociosexual attitudes. Across both studies, we did not find evidence that manipulating pathogen threat or mate availability resulted in change in political ideology. In Study 1, manipulating mate availability was indirectly associated with greater political conservativism through stronger sociosexual attitudes that favor monogamy. These findings failed to replicate in Study 2. Implications for theory and future research are discussed.