Stage 1 Registered Report: Do psychological diversities contribute to preventing the coronavirus spread? Testing a neurodiversity hypothesis amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: Contemporary societies lack direct evidence that diversity of neuro-origin psychological traits – neurodiversity – benefits the human species. Psychological diversities including those with heightened traits of obsessive-compulsiveness (OC) may play a critical preventative role amidst a pandemic because of their natural dispositions for immunizing cognitions and behaviors based on obsessive pathogen concerns. We aim to test this notion in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: We will conduct an online survey examining the hypotheses that individuals with higher psychological traits of OC are less likely to get infected while they show enhanced self-diagnosis of infection. Conclusions: Such results would suggest that those generally perceived as “psychological minorities” due to increased pathogen concerns may serve preventive roles against pandemics at both individual and collective levels.