Attractive political candidates receive more votes on Election Day compared to their less attractive competitors. One well-cited theoretical account for this attractiveness effect (White et al., 2013) holds that it reflects an adaptive psychological response to disease threats. Voters are predicted to upregulate preferences for attractiveness because it constitutes a cue to health. The global COVID-19 pandemic constitutes an ecologically relevant and realistic setting for further testing this prediction. Here, we report the results from six tests of the prediction based on two large and nationally representative surveys conducted in Denmark (n = 3297) at the outbreak of the pandemic and one year later. Utilizing experimental techniques, validated individual difference measures of perceived disease threat and geographic data on COVID-19 severity, we do not find that disease threats like the COVID-19 pandemic upregulate preferences for attractive and healthy political or non-political leaders. Instead, respondents display heightened preferences for health in socially proximate relations (i.e. colleagues). Moreover, individuals who react aversively to situations involving risks of pathogen transmission (scoring high in Germ Aversion) report higher importance of a wide range of leadership traits, rather than for health and attractiveness in particular. Results are discussed in relation to evolutionary accounts of leadership and followership.

与不那么有吸引力的竞争对手相比，有吸引力的政治候选人在选举日获得更多选票。一个被广泛引用的关于这种吸引力效应的理论解释（White 等人，2013 年）认为它反映了对疾病威胁的适应性心理反应。预计选民会上调对吸引力的偏好，因为它构成了健康的线索。全球 COVID-19 大流行构成了进一步检验这一预测的生态相关和现实环境。在这里，我们根据在大流行爆发时和一年后在丹麦 (n = 3297) 进行的两项具有全国代表性的大型调查，报告了六项预测测试的结果。利用实验技术，验证感知疾病威胁的个体差异测量和 COVID-19 严重程度的地理数据，我们没有发现像 COVID-19 大流行这样的疾病威胁会上调对有吸引力和健康的政治或非政治领导人的偏好。相反，受访者在社会关系（即同事）中表现出更高的健康偏好。此外，对涉及病原体传播风险的情况做出厌恶反应的个人（在细菌厌恶中得分高）报告了广泛的领导特质的重要性，而不是特别是健康和吸引力。讨论的结果与领导力和追随者的进化论有关。同事）。此外，对涉及病原体传播风险的情况做出厌恶反应的个人（在细菌厌恶中得分高）报告了广泛的领导特质的重要性，而不是特别是健康和吸引力。讨论的结果与领导力和追随者的进化论有关。同事）。此外，对涉及病原体传播风险的情况做出厌恶反应的个人（在细菌厌恶中得分高）报告了广泛的领导特质的重要性，而不是特别是健康和吸引力。讨论的结果与领导力和追随者的进化论有关。