Pathogen stress heightens sensorimotor dimensions in the human collective semantic space

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Sociology
• Cultural Psychology

Background:

• Infectious diseases have historically caused significant mortality and are presumed to influence human psychology.
• The adaptation of conceptual processing, a key component of internal world models, to pathogen stress is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between pathogen severity and collective semantic space.
• To determine if and how conceptual processing adapts to pathogen stress.

Main Methods:

• Conducted three studies: one cross-cultural (43 countries) and two historical (over 100 years).
• Examined semantic space through neurocognitive semantic dimensions derived from large-scale text analyses.
• Controlled for sociocultural variables like economic wealth and societal norms.

Main Results:

• A robust association was found between increased pathogen severity and an enhanced sensory-motor dimension in collective semantic space.
• This pattern persisted across diverse cultural and historical contexts.
• The findings were independent of sociocultural factors.

Conclusions:

• Pathogen stress universally influences collective semantics, driving a shift towards sensorially oriented semantic processing.
• Highlights the dynamic and adaptive nature of human conceptual systems in response to existential threats.