@article{ART003322341},
author={김명진 and Hanson Park},
title={Anatomical Interfaces of Infection Transmission and the Behavioral Immune System: Nonlinear Thresholds in a Contact–Transmission Coupled Optimization Model},
journal={Anatomy & Biological Anthropology},
issn={2671-5651},
year={2026},
volume={39},
number={1},
pages={63-72},
doi={10.11637/aba.2026.39.1.63}
TY - JOUR
AU - 김명진
AU - Hanson Park
TI - Anatomical Interfaces of Infection Transmission and the Behavioral Immune System: Nonlinear Thresholds in a Contact–Transmission Coupled Optimization Model
JO - Anatomy & Biological Anthropology
PY - 2026
VL - 39
IS - 1
PB - 대한체질인류학회
SP - 63
EP - 72
SN - 2671-5651
AB - Infectious disease transmission is a byproduct of social interaction, yet simultaneously an anatomical event contingent on the pathogen breaching host epithelial barriers (tight junctions, mucus layers, mucociliary clearance). Existing behavioral-epidemiological frameworks commonly assume that contact rates decline monotonically as prevalence rises; however, superspreading events and heterogeneous individual transmissibility are repeatedly observed in real outbreaks, and contact behavior can exhibit nonlinear responses depending on messaging, environment, and intervention. This study presents a minimal model integrating the avoidance response of the Behavioral Immune System (BIS) with anatomical transmission probability, and derives conditions under which optimal contact rates need not decrease monotonically with respect to prevalence or transmission probability. Individuals select an effective contact rate x≥0 to maximize fitness F(x)=B(x)-C(x), the difference between social benefit B(x) and expected infection loss C(x), where infection loss is defined as C(x)=c*{1-(1-δ)^(i*x)}. In the saturation regime, the marginal risk-reduction benefit of decreasing contact vanishes, such that when prevalence i or effective per-contact infection probability δ exceeds a critical threshold, maintaining or even increasing contact may constitute the individually optimal strategy. This suggests that apparently non-compliant behavior may represent an adaptive response under saturated infection probability conditions rather than a moral failing. Furthermore, by interpreting δ as an effective infection probability encompassing not only pathogen infectivity but also host-side factors such as airway anatomy, mucociliary clearance, and epithelial barrier integrity, as well as engineering interventions including masks, ventilation, and PPE, we argue that in high-prevalence settings, multilayer defenses targeting δ reduction (improved ventilation, masking, air quality) constitute a more robust public health strategy for sustaining behavioral compliance than escalating risk messaging. This study provides a mathematical foundation linking BIS, transmission anatomy, and public health intervention, and proposes extension to dynamic models incorporating individual heterogeneity and endogenous behavioral feedback.
KW - behavioral immune system;optimal contact rate;non-monotonic behavioral response;transmission anatomy
DO - 10.11637/aba.2026.39.1.63
ER -
김명진 and Hanson Park. (2026). Anatomical Interfaces of Infection Transmission and the Behavioral Immune System: Nonlinear Thresholds in a Contact–Transmission Coupled Optimization Model. Anatomy & Biological Anthropology, 39(1), 63-72.
김명진 and Hanson Park. 2026, "Anatomical Interfaces of Infection Transmission and the Behavioral Immune System: Nonlinear Thresholds in a Contact–Transmission Coupled Optimization Model", Anatomy & Biological Anthropology, vol.39, no.1 pp.63-72. Available from: doi:10.11637/aba.2026.39.1.63
김명진, Hanson Park "Anatomical Interfaces of Infection Transmission and the Behavioral Immune System: Nonlinear Thresholds in a Contact–Transmission Coupled Optimization Model" Anatomy & Biological Anthropology 39.1 pp.63-72 (2026) : 63.
김명진, Hanson Park. Anatomical Interfaces of Infection Transmission and the Behavioral Immune System: Nonlinear Thresholds in a Contact–Transmission Coupled Optimization Model. 2026; 39(1), 63-72. Available from: doi:10.11637/aba.2026.39.1.63
김명진 and Hanson Park. "Anatomical Interfaces of Infection Transmission and the Behavioral Immune System: Nonlinear Thresholds in a Contact–Transmission Coupled Optimization Model" Anatomy & Biological Anthropology 39, no.1 (2026) : 63-72.doi: 10.11637/aba.2026.39.1.63
김명진; Hanson Park. Anatomical Interfaces of Infection Transmission and the Behavioral Immune System: Nonlinear Thresholds in a Contact–Transmission Coupled Optimization Model. Anatomy & Biological Anthropology, 39(1), 63-72. doi: 10.11637/aba.2026.39.1.63
김명진; Hanson Park. Anatomical Interfaces of Infection Transmission and the Behavioral Immune System: Nonlinear Thresholds in a Contact–Transmission Coupled Optimization Model. Anatomy & Biological Anthropology. 2026; 39(1) 63-72. doi: 10.11637/aba.2026.39.1.63
김명진, Hanson Park. Anatomical Interfaces of Infection Transmission and the Behavioral Immune System: Nonlinear Thresholds in a Contact–Transmission Coupled Optimization Model. 2026; 39(1), 63-72. Available from: doi:10.11637/aba.2026.39.1.63
김명진 and Hanson Park. "Anatomical Interfaces of Infection Transmission and the Behavioral Immune System: Nonlinear Thresholds in a Contact–Transmission Coupled Optimization Model" Anatomy & Biological Anthropology 39, no.1 (2026) : 63-72.doi: 10.11637/aba.2026.39.1.63
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