Dinner (and Disease) is Served: Examining the Relationship Between Disease Avoidance Motivations and Food Neophobia

Abstract

Purpose

Infectious diseases have posed an existential threat to humans throughout history, resulting in a complex system of evolved psychological and behavioral mechanisms designed to help mitigate infection. Given that food consumption represents a significant route through which humans can be exposed to illness-causing pathogens, further research into the relationship between disease avoidance motivations and novel food avoidance (i.e., food neophobia) is warranted.

Methods

Across three studies (total N = 736), we investigated the relationship between trait disease avoidance motivation (assessed by the Perceived Vulnerability to Disease scale) and food neophobia.

Results and Conclusions

Results from each of the three studies indicated that greater dispositional germ aversion significantly predicted greater food neophobia, whereas the relationship between dispositional perceived infectability and food neophobia was positive but more variable across the studies. Additionally, Study 3 revealed that while greater dispositional food neophobia predicted greater likelihood of avoiding foreign foods, experimentally priming disease threat was not associated with food choice. Lastly, an internal meta-analysis revealed that both germ aversion and perceived infectability were both uniquely positively associated with food neophobia. Limitations, conceptual issues, and avenues for future research are discussed.