How does comfort with interpersonal contact vary within and across countries?
Infectious diseases transmission often occurs through physical contact. Recent research conducted in the U.S. indicates that people are least comfortable with touching objects touched by “low value” others – those who are unlikely to confer social benefits. We will extend this finding across 60 nations and investigate whether comfort with interpersonal contact is lower in regions with higher infectious disease prevalence. We will further test whether parasite stress relates equally to comfort with both contact with high-value others and low-value others. Additionally, we will examine whether parasite stress relates to greeting norms – whether they involve the use of physical contact (e.g., handshakes, hugs) or not (bows, waves).
