Why do some people pray more than others? Why do some people prefer to be with healthier-looking people? Why are some people more conservative than others? Why does the prevalence of violence vary across the world? Why are some countries poor while others are increasingly wealthy? Why are some countries mired in corruption? Randy Thornhill and Corey L. Fincher argue that the answers to these questions, and many more about the human condition, come down to understanding how infectious diseases have shaped human behavior and psychology. Paramount to this view is that other human beings are often the harbinger of infectious diseases, which has profound implications for the evolution of human sociality. In The Parasite-Stress Theory of Values and Sociality: Infectious Disease, History and Human Values Worldwide, the authors bring a wealth of evidence from across many scholarly fields, much of which has been produced in the last decade, to support this claim. Read this book to learn how infectious diseases have shaped human emotions, morality, political and cultural values, personality, family ties, mate preferences and sexuality, religiosity, intergroup psychology, governmental systems, trade, war, economic development, intelligence and innovation, and biodiversity, and more.

¿1. Background and Overview of the Book.- 2. Evolutionary Aesthetics, Values and Methodology.- 3. The Parasite-stress Theory of Values.- 4. Human Values Research Prior ro the Parasite-stress Theory.- 5.Collectivism-Individualism, Family Ties and Philopatry.- 6. Mating Systems, Mate Choice, Marriage, Sexual Behavior and Inbreeding.- 7. Personality.- 8. Interpersonal Violence.- 9. Religiosity.- 10. Democracy and Other Governmental Systems.- 11. Economics, Values and Cognitive Ability.- 12. Wars, Revolutions and Coups, and the Absence of Peace across the World.- 13. Biodiversity and the Parasite-driven Wedge.- 14. Reflections, Criticisms, and Future Research.