How evolutionary behavioural sciences can help us understand behaviour in a
pandemic
#MMPMID33318799
Arnot M
; Brandl E
; Campbell OLK
; Chen Y
; Du J
; Dyble M
; Emmott EH
; Ge E
; Kretschmer LDW
; Mace R
; Micheletti AJC
; Nila S
; Peacey S
; Salali GD
; Zhang H
Evol Med Public Health
2020[]; 2020
(1
): 264-278
PMID33318799
show ga
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought science into the public eye and to the
attention of governments more than ever before. Much of this attention is on work
in epidemiology, virology and public health, with most behavioural advice in
public health focusing squarely on 'proximate' determinants of behaviour. While
epidemiological models are powerful tools to predict the spread of disease when
human behaviour is stable, most do not incorporate behavioural change. The
evolutionary basis of our preferences and the cultural evolutionary dynamics of
our beliefs drive behavioural change, so understanding these evolutionary
processes can help inform individual and government decision-making in the face
of a pandemic. Lay summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought behavioural
sciences into the public eye: Without vaccinations, stopping the spread of the
virus must rely on behaviour change by limiting contact between people. On the
face of it, "stop seeing people" sounds simple. In practice, this is hard. Here
we outline how an evolutionary perspective on behaviour change can provide
additional insights. Evolutionary theory postulates that our psychology and
behaviour did not evolve to maximize our health or that of others. Instead,
individuals are expected to act to maximise their inclusive fitness (i.e,
spreading our genes) - which can lead to a conflict between behaviours that are
in the best interests for the individual, and behaviours that stop the spread of
the virus. By examining the ultimate explanations of behaviour related to
pandemic-management (such as behavioural compliance and social distancing), we
conclude that "good of the group" arguments and "one size fits all" policies are
unlikely to encourage behaviour change over the long-term. Sustained behaviour
change to keep pandemics at bay is much more likely to emerge from environmental
change, so governments and policy makers may need to facilitate significant
social change - such as improving life experiences for disadvantaged groups.
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