Filthy Animals: Integrating the Behavioral Immune System and Disgust into A Model of Prophylactic Dehumanization

Abstract

Disgust and dehumanization both dampen empathy toward outgroups, and dehumanization also often involves representing the target as a disgusting animal. Therefore, we examined the relationship between disgust and dehumanization, documenting robust relationships between them in Americans’ evaluations of a variety of stigmatized groups (Studies 1-2). Since disgust is reliably elicited in the presence of disease threats, we then investigated its relationship with the dehumanization of Chinese people, a group stigmatized due to their association with the COVID-19 pandemic. Americans who felt more vulnerable to disease expressed more disgust toward, and dehumanization of, Chinese people (Study 3). In a final study, we found Americans’ disease concerns predicted their anti-immigrant attitudes, an effect wholly mediated by their disgust toward, and dehumanization of, immigrants. However, this only occurred when the threat of contracting COVID-19 was made salient (Study 4). We conclude that a constellation of disease concerns, disgust, and dehumanization can foment xenophobic attitudes.

The Role of Intraminority Relations in Perceptions of Cultural Appropriation

“…For instance, drawing on dehumanization literature, Black Americans are seen as sub-human (e.g., associations with apes), which has led to the condoning of police violence against Black Americans (Goff et al, 2008;Kteily & Richeson, 2016). However, Asian Americans have instead been dehumanized based on concerns about pathogen threat during the COVID-19 pandemic (Landry et al, 2022). These differences in the nature of dehumanization of minoritized groups cannot easily be explained by a mere desire to distinguish one's ingroup from outgroups -instead, it suggests that historic relationships and unique associations with different groups motivate intergroup bias.…”