A study published in PeerJ journal by lead researcher Javier Borraz-Leon and his team from University of Turku in Finland, has found evidence that suggests toxoplasma-infected individuals were considered more attractive and even healthier than those not infected by the virus.
Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by a single-celled parasite named Toxoplasma gondii. It’s possible that more than 40 million people in the United States may be infected by the bug, but what exactly does that have to do with the frisky feline in your house?
The parasite will linger in your cat’s litter box, so if you aren’t careful while cleaning it out, or if the cat’s poop comes into contact with something close to where you eat, you could accidentally swallow the parasite.
Most healthy people shouldn’t be worried though, as an individual’’s immune system usually works to keep the parasite from doing too much damage. However, those with compromised immune systems, as well as persons who are pregnant, must be much more cautious.
But while most parasites cause a whole range of health issues, researchers of this study found that the parasite might be the best aid in helping you score a date. In this case, the researchers believe the parasite infects its host in such a way as to manipulate its chances of reproducing.
“There is evidence that Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) manipulates phenotypic characteristics of its intermediate hosts to increase its spread,” the study says, meaning that the parasite is most likely trying to help you score more matches on your dating app.
For this study, researchers compared the “self-perceived attractiveness, number of sexual partners, number of minor ailments, body mass index, mate value, handgrip strength, facial fluctuating asymmetry, and facial width-to-height ratio” between persons who were infected by Toxoplasma and those who were not infected. They also asked an independent group of 205 raters to judge the attractiveness and “perceived” health of the two subject groups.
Their findings? Men and women who were infected by the parasite had more symmetrical facial features, and were perceived as being more attractive and healthier than non-infected subjects. The infected female participants also weighed 10% less, had more confidence, and a higher number of sexual partners than those who were not infected. Men who were infected were also 3 centimeters taller, with dominant masculine facial features, and had higher levels of testosterone.
Those infected by the Toxoplasma gondii parasite also showed differences in their mood and temperament. “...infected men are more expedient, jealous, dogmatic, and suspicious, whereas infected women are more conscientious, persistent, warm-hearted, outgoing, and moralistic than non-infected subjects,” the study notes.
“The parasite may produce changes in the appearance and behavior of the human host, either as a by-product of the infection or as the result of the manipulation of the parasite to increase its spread to new hosts,” said lead researcher Javier Borráz-León, of Finland’s University of Turku.
While the parasite has been studied before, this is one of the first significant studies of its effects on a human’s phenotypic characteristics.