Body odour disgust sensitivity (BODS) is assumed to be a behavioural pathogen avoidance function that may also involve social attitudes, favoring less inter-group contact. Previous research showed that among individuals living in the USA, high levels of BODS were associated with stronger xenophobic attitudes, as measured by a scenario involving a fictitious group of refugees. To test the generalizability of this finding, we investigated the relationship between BODS and xenophobia in a multi-national sample of 10 countries across 6 continents. The data was collected during COVID-19 pandemic, a salient global pathogen threat. Data were collected in Sweden and Italy (N = 2474) during the first pandemic wave, and in The United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, Nigeria, Kenya, Hong Kong, Chile and Mexico (N = 4368) during the second wave. Using structural equation modeling, we found support for the preregistered hypotheses that BODS was associated with more xenophobic attitudes, and this relationship was in part explained by perceived dissimilarities of the refugees’ norms in terms of hygiene and food preparation. Our results indicate that the positive relationship between BODS and xenophobia is robust across cultures. Our results also support the theoretical interpretation that embracing “traditional norms” might constitute a bridge between pathogen avoidance and social attitudes; traditional norms often involve behaviours that limit inter-group contact, social mobility and situations that might lead to exposure to pathogens.

This work has been supported by the Swedish Research Council (2016-02018) to M.T.L.