Disgust

Disgust is a powerful, universal emotion of aversion and repulsion toward something offensive, unpleasant, or potentially contaminated. While its core function is to protect us from disease and harm, disgust can also be triggered by social and moral violations. The intensity of this emotion can range from a mild dislike to intense revulsion or loathing. 

Causes and triggers

The things that cause disgust can vary across cultures, but some triggers are universal: 

• Bodily fluids and products: Feces, urine, vomit, mucus, blood, saliva, and pus.

• Contamination: Spoiled food, rot, poor hygiene, and visible signs of infection.

• Animals: Creatures often associated with disease, such as rats, flies, cockroaches, and worms.

• Bodily violations: The sight of gore, injuries, death, or mutilation.

• Social and moral transgressions: Actions that violate social norms, such as lying, theft, murder, or sexual perversions. 

The evolutionary purpose of disgust

From an evolutionary perspective, disgust is a crucial protective mechanism.

• Disease avoidance: As part of a "behavioral immune system," disgust motivates us to avoid pathogens and infections by recoiling from things that may carry disease, like spoiled food or poor hygiene.

• Survival: This aversion response keeps us safe and healthy, reducing the risk of illness and protecting us from harm.

• Social cohesion: Moral disgust encourages the avoidance of individuals who break social norms, which helps maintain group harmony and cooperation. 

Physical and behavioral responses

The experience of disgust is accompanied by specific physical reactions, many of which are universal across cultures. 

• Facial expressions: A wrinkled nose, raised upper lip, and lowered eyebrows are common signals. This reflex restricts the intake of foul odors.

• Nausea and gagging: In severe cases, disgust can trigger the gag reflex or stomach discomfort to expel a harmful substance.

• Withdrawal: A common behavioral response is to recoil, turn away, or create physical distance from the source of disgust. 

Psychological impacts

Beyond its immediate protective function, disgust has deeper psychological implications.

• Influence on morality: People with higher disgust sensitivity tend to make stricter moral judgments. This can be problematic when it leads to prejudice and dehumanization, as seen in the stigmatization of certain groups based on perceived "purity" or "cleanliness".

• Mental health: Excessive disgust sensitivity is linked to a number of mental health issues, including phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), eating disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

• Self-disgust: This is an emotion of intense revulsion and loathing directed toward oneself, often associated with issues like depression, OCD, and eating disorders. 

Managing feelings of disgust

While a natural emotion, severe or misplaced disgust can be managed with specific strategies. 

• Increase tolerance: For benign annoyances, you can build tolerance by pairing the uncomfortable situation with a pleasant sensory experience, like using scented soap or listening to music.

• Practice acceptance and inquiry: Accept your feelings without judgment. Then, analyze your concerns objectively and ask yourself how likely your feared outcome is.

• Shift perspective: Reframe the situation. If you are caring for a loved one, focus on your bond and the act of caring, which can help diminish your disgust response over time through repeated exposure.

• Talk it out: Confiding in a trusted friend or therapist can provide a reality check and help you address the root causes of intense or irrational disgust.

• Seek professional help: If disgust is overwhelming, affecting your daily life, or linked to a traumatic event, seeking guidance from a mental health professional can be beneficial.