this post was submitted on 11 Nov 2023
57 points (88.0% liked)

Asklemmy

43927 readers
672 users here now

A loosely moderated place to ask open-ended questions

Search asklemmy 🔍

If your post meets the following criteria, it's welcome here!

  1. Open-ended question
  2. Not offensive: at this point, we do not have the bandwidth to moderate overtly political discussions. Assume best intent and be excellent to each other.
  3. Not regarding using or support for Lemmy: context, see the list of support communities and tools for finding communities below
  4. Not ad nauseam inducing: please make sure it is a question that would be new to most members
  5. An actual topic of discussion

Looking for support?

Looking for a community?

~Icon~ ~by~ ~@Double_A@discuss.tchncs.de~

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] datavoid@lemmy.ml 44 points 1 year ago (3 children)
[–] Caligvla@lemmy.dbzer0.com 17 points 1 year ago (3 children)

What the hell does toxoplasmosis have to do with liking cats?

[–] otter@lemmy.ca 19 points 1 year ago

It inhibits the fear response in rodents, so they are more likely to cuddle up with cats

The joke being that humans are infected too

In rodents, T. gondii alters behavior in ways that increase the rodents' chances of being preyed upon by felids. Support for this "manipulation hypothesis" stems from studies showing that T. gondii-infected rats have a decreased aversion to cat urine while infection in mice lowers general anxiety, increases explorative behaviors and increases a loss of aversion to predators in general. Because cats are one of the only hosts within which T. gondii can sexually reproduce, such behavioral manipulations are thought to be evolutionary adaptations that increase the parasite's reproductive success since rodents that do not avoid cat habitations will more likely become cat prey

[–] yata@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 year ago

Apparently it is a popular American myth.

[–] livus@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

@Caligvla as @otter said, T gondii stops rodents from being afraid of cats. It also makes male rodents sexually attracted to cats.

[–] currawong@lemmy.ml 13 points 1 year ago

On the whole, there was little evidence that T. gondii was related to increased risk of psychiatric disorder, poor impulse control, personality aberrations, or neurocognitive impairment.

[–] VM_Abrantes@kbin.social 6 points 1 year ago

lmao imagine having an affinity towards felines because a parasite told you to