Feeling ill may be due to ‘selfish gene,’ Israeli scientists say
A desire to remain at home could be evolutionary trick to isolate weak from healthy, according to Keren Shakhar and Guy Shakhar
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Wanting to stay home when suffering from sickness may not be a symptom of the illness, but rather evolution’s way of isolating the weak from the healthy, thanks to a “selfish gene,” claim Israeli researchers.
According to Dr. Guy Shakhar of the Weizmann Institute and Dr. Keren Shakhar of the College of Management Academic Studies, a sick person may not survive an illness, but the desire for isolation is a way of ensuring that the rest of the population remains unafflicted, and therefore survives.
“We tend to take it for granted that infection is what causes the symptoms of illness, assuming that the microbial invasion directly impinges on our well-being. In truth, many of our body’s systems are involved in being sick: the immune system and endocrine systems, as well as our nervous system,” writes the Weizmann Institute on its website.
“From the point of view of the individual, this behavior may seem overly altruistic,” the Weizmann Institute quotes Keren Shakhar as saying, “but from the perspective of the gene, its odds of being passed down are improved.”
The scientists run through a list of symptoms that commonly appear during illness, arguing that each one backs up their hypothesis. They cite appetite loss as way of preventing a disease from spreading through shared food or water resources, while fatigue and weakness may reduce an infected person’s mobility, thereby restricting the range of contact they have with others. Furthermore, they argue, poor personal grooming can signal to others: “I’m sick! Don’t come near!”
“We know that isolation is the most efficient way to stop a transmissible disease from spreading,” the website quotes Guy Shakhar as saying. “The problem is that today, for example, with flu, many do not realize how deadly it can be. So they go against their natural instincts, take a pill to reduce pain and fever and go to work, where the chance of infecting others is much higher.”
The researchers say that this behavior is not exclusive to humans, and cite the example of sick bees who leave the hive in order to die.
The research was published recently in the Public Library of Science (PLOS) journal.
The Times of Israel Community.