The history of epidemics can influence contemporary social behaviour, such as the use of protective masks, according to researchers who surveyed thousands of birders from 53 countries and analysed historical prevalence of infectious diseases, as well as contemporary indicators of pandemic policies in different countries.
How much does our evolutionary past influence today's social decisions and regulations? A new publication in the journal Social Science Research (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2025.103145) sheds light on how the historical presence of infectious diseases and cultural differences influenced the use of protective masks during outdoor leisure during the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 4,800 birders from 53 countries were surveyed in the study, conducted by an international team of scientists from seven countries, making it one of the most extensive studies of this type on pandemic behaviour in the context of recreation in the world, one of the authors of the analyses Professor Piotr Tryjanowski from the Poznań University of Life Sciences emphasises in a press release sent to PAP - Science in Poland.
The study was conducted by an international team led by Professor Christoph Randler from the University of Tübingen (Germany).
To capture the full image of global patterns of pandemic behaviour, scientists conducted an extensive survey among birders - a group of people who spent a lot of time outdoors during the pandemic and had the opportunity to make informed decisions about wearing masks. The study involved 4,863 respondents from 53 countries, representing different cultures, political systems and historical experiences with infectious diseases. Participants answered questions about their habits related to wearing masks in open spaces and provided information about their age, gender and country of residence.
This data were then compared with historical prevalence of infectious diseases and contemporary indicators of pandemic policies in individual countries.
Statistical analyses conducted by the researchers showed that the historical presence of infectious diseases was a strong predictor of current health behaviours, regardless of the restrictions in force. These results are consistent with broader evolutionary theories on parasitic stress and its impact on the formation of social norms, the researchers emphasise in the press release.
This publication - as its authors comment - supports the parasite stress theory, which suggests that historical exposure to infectious diseases has influenced the formation of social norms, including tendencies towards greater conformity and pro-health behaviours. This means that contemporary government decisions on sanitary restrictions may be unconsciously conditioned by evolutionary mechanisms.
'This study not only shows how the past shapes our current behaviours, but can also help predict social reactions to future health crises', Tryjanowski comments. 'This can be valuable knowledge for decision-makers who want to effectively manage public health'.
The professor emphasises the importance of the results for further understanding of the relationship between social evolution and health policy. 'Our results show that not only current government regulations, but also the distant history of infectious diseases in a given society had a significant impact on individual decisions to wear masks', he says. 'It is fascinating how deeply our behaviours in response to pandemics are rooted in our biological and cultural history'.
The results of the study indicate that the effectiveness of countermeasures, such as the obligation to wear masks, may depend on the cultural and historical context. 'We cannot expect the same regulations to bring identical results in different countries, because people are guided by deeply rooted social values and historical experience', Professor Piotr Tryjanowski comments. (PAP)
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