An obvious point, and one he already addressed in one of the paragraphs I specifically quoted, with the examples of frequently ill people, pregnant women, disease/parasite priming, and age-dependent Openness/immunity correlations.
He notes a correlation between xenophobia and self rated disease susceptibility, and an increase in xenophobia in the first trimester of pregnancy, but contact with outsiders is actually associated with increased risk of disease. If the body of research he’s drawing on has indicated a general decrease in openness under these conditions, including metrics he’s referenced earlier such as interest in science fiction or indie music, then he hasn’t made that clear.
An obvious point, and one he already addressed in one of the paragraphs I specifically quoted, with the examples of frequently ill people, pregnant women, disease/parasite priming, and age-dependent Openness/immunity correlations.
He notes a correlation between xenophobia and self rated disease susceptibility, and an increase in xenophobia in the first trimester of pregnancy, but contact with outsiders is actually associated with increased risk of disease. If the body of research he’s drawing on has indicated a general decrease in openness under these conditions, including metrics he’s referenced earlier such as interest in science fiction or indie music, then he hasn’t made that clear.