The study involved 280 students, equally divided between men and women, who evaluated 24 photographs of different individuals, taken both when they were ill and when they were healthy. Participants assessed whether the people in the photographs appeared ill or lethargic, using six criteria on a nine-point Likert scale: safety, health, friendliness, alertness, social engagement, and positivity.
The results showed that women were more sensitive to signs of illness, and the difference was small but statistically significant, helping researchers assess whether a person was open to communication, appeared content, or tired.
The researchers identified two possible reasons for this phenomenon:
The role of women as caregivers for children , where rapid detection of signs of illness in young children is necessary.
Women tend to avoid infections due to periods of decreased immunity during their reproductive years, including pregnancy and menstruation.
The authors pointed to limitations of the study, including the use of a student sample and the lack of analysis of other disease signs such as voice and body movements, stressing that the results open up prospects for understanding gender differences in recognizing disease signs.
The study was published in the journal "Evolution and Human Behavior".
