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Disease and Disapproval: COVID-19 Concern is Related to Greater Moral Condemnation.

Published version
Peer-reviewed

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Type

Article

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Authors

Henderson, Robert K 

Abstract

Prior research has indicated that disease threat and disgust are associated with harsher moral condemnation. We investigated the role of a specific, highly salient health concern, namely the spread of the coronavirus, and associated COVID-19 disease, on moral disapproval. We hypothesized that individuals who report greater subjective worry about COVID-19 would be more sensitive to moral transgressions. Across three studies (N = 913), conducted March-May 2020 as the pandemic started to unfold in the United States, we found that individuals who were worried about contracting the infectious disease made harsher moral judgments than those who were relatively less worried. This effect was not restricted to transgressions involving purity, but extended to transgressions involving harm, fairness, authority, and loyalty, and remained when controlling for political orientation. Furthermore, for Studies 1 and 2 the effect also was robust when taking into account the contamination subscale of the Disgust Scale-Revised. These findings add to the growing literature that concrete threats to health can play a role in abstract moral considerations, supporting the notion that judgments of wrongdoing are not based on rational thought alone.

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Keywords

COVID-19, behavioral immune system, coronavirus, disgust, emotion, harm, moral foundations theory, moral judgment, morality, pathogen avoidance, Adult, Anxiety, COVID-19, Disgust, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Morals, Psychological Theory, Social Perception, United States, Young Adult

Journal Title

Evol Psychol

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1474-7049
1474-7049

Volume Title

19

Publisher

SAGE Publications
Sponsorship
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (N/A)