Immunoactivation Affects Perceived Body Odor and Facial but Not Vocal Attractiveness

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F86652079%3A_____%2F23%3A00580059" target="_blank" >RIV/86652079:_____/23:00580059 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/00216208:11310/23:10472166 RIV/00216208:11510/23:10472166

Result on the web

<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14747049231218010" target="_blank" >https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14747049231218010</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/14747049231218010" target="_blank" >10.1177/14747049231218010</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Immunoactivation Affects Perceived Body Odor and Facial but Not Vocal Attractiveness

Original language description

Several previous studies have shown that in mammals, the health status of conspecifics can be assessed based on perceptual cues. Olfactory, visual, or acoustic cues may lead to avoidant behavior, thus reducing the risk of contagion by close contact with infected individuals. We tested whether immune system activation after immunization leads to perceptible changes in body odor and facial and vocal attractiveness in humans. We have experimentally activated the immune system of male participants using vaccination against hepatitis A/B and meningococcus. Their body odor, facial photographs, and vocal recordings were collected before and 14 days after vaccination. Subsequently, the body odor samples, facial photographs, and vocal recordings were assessed by female raters for their attractiveness and healthiness. We have also measured skin coloration (from facial photographs and in vivo using a spectrophotometer), vocal parameters, and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels as a marker of inflammation. We found an increase in perceived body odor attractiveness, a decrease in facial attractiveness and healthiness, and no change in vocal attractiveness 14 days after vaccination compared to the prevaccination condition. Moreover, there was no change in facial coloration or vocal parameters between the prevaccination and postvaccination conditions. Prevaccination CRP levels were negatively associated with body odor and facial attractiveness and positively associated with body odor intensity. Overall, our results suggest that perceived body odor as well as facial but not vocal attractiveness may provide cues to activation of the immune response and that each modality may carry specific information about the individual's condition.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

30304 - Public and environmental health

Project

—

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2023

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Evolutionary Psychology

ISSN

1474-7049

e-ISSN

1474-7049

Volume of the periodical

21

Issue of the periodical within the volume

4

Country of publishing house

US - UNITED STATES

Number of pages

16

Pages from-to

14747049231218010

UT code for WoS article

001125862800001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85179649619