08-12-2017, 05:58 PM
It is pretty clear that toxoplasmosis does affect behavior in humans but since we are not part of the normal life cycle those effects are not reinforced through natural selection. People just get strange. To the degree that our brains work the same way as rats' brains there will be some similar behavioral changes. If a behavior does or doesn't help cats it is pretty much coincidence because humans have not been "in the loop" for anywhere near as long as cats/rats have. However increased risk taking and impulsiveness has been fairly well correlated with toxoplasmosis infection. Cat feeders are usually at odds with a large slice of society so a dose of impulsivity and recklessness fits right in.