Search: onr:"swepub:oai:DiVA.org:su-151296" >
Identification of a...
Identification of acutely sick people and facial cues of sickness
-
- Axelsson, John (author)
- Stockholms universitet,Stressforskningsinstitutet,Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
-
- Sundelin, Tina (author)
- Karolinska Institutet
-
- Olsson, Mats J. (author)
- Karolinska Institutet
-
show more...
-
- Sorjonen, Kimmo (author)
- Karolinska Institutet
-
Axelsson, Charlotte (author)
-
- Lasselin, Julie (author)
- Stockholms universitet,Stressforskningsinstitutet,Karolinska Institutet, Sweden; Universitätsklinikum Essen, Germany
-
- Lekander, Mats (author)
- Stockholms universitet,Stressforskningsinstitutet,Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
-
show less...
-
(creator_code:org_t)
- 2018-01-03
- 2018
- English.
-
In: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 0962-8452 .- 1471-2954. ; 285:1870
- Related links:
-
https://royalsociety...
-
show more...
-
https://urn.kb.se/re...
-
https://doi.org/10.1...
-
http://kipublication...
-
show less...
Abstract
Subject headings
Close
- Detection and avoidance of sick individuals have been proposed as essential components in a behavioural defence against disease, limiting the risk of contamination. However, almost no knowledge exists on whether humans can detect sick individuals, and if so by what cues. Here, we demonstrate that untrained people can identify sick individuals above chance level by looking at facial photos taken 2 h after injection with a bacterial stimulus inducing an immune response (2.0 ng kg-1 lipopolysaccharide) or placebo, the global sensitivity index being d' = 0.405. Signal detection analysis (receiver operating characteristic curve area) showed an area of 0.62 (95% confidence intervals 0.60-0.63). Acutely sick people were rated by naive observers as having paler lips and skin, a more swollen face, droopier corners of the mouth, more hanging eyelids, redder eyes, and less glossy and patchy skin, as well as appearing more tired. Our findings suggest that facial cues associated with the skin, mouth and eyes can aid in the detection of acutely sick and potentially contagious people.
Subject headings
- MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP -- Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper -- Neurovetenskaper (hsv//swe)
- MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES -- Basic Medicine -- Neurosciences (hsv//eng)
- MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP -- Hälsovetenskap -- Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi (hsv//swe)
- MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES -- Health Sciences -- Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology (hsv//eng)
Keyword
- social perception
- facial cues
- health
- disease avoidance
Publication and Content Type
- ref (subject category)
- art (subject category)
Find in a library
To the university's database