The Psychology of Disgust: Its Social and Psychopathological Impact

Disgust is a fundamental and multifaceted human emotion that plays a crucial role in survival by helping individuals avoid contamination and disease. Disgust manifests in response to odors, textures, and visual cues such as bodily fluids and insects, triggering avoidance behaviors like scrunching the nose or averting the eyes. It also influences social interactions, morality, and mate selection. Disgust is categorized into pathogen, sexual, and moral domains, each shaping human behavior differently. This study examines the social and pathological aspects of disgust, focusing on how personality traits and gender influence its manifestation. We found that disgust significantly impacts thoughts and behaviors, often leading to biases such as stigma, discrimination, and social rejection. Additionally, the experience of disgust varies between genders. Our review also highlights that heightened disgust sensitivity is associated with conditions like obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Our study shows that despite advancements in understanding the psychological implications of disgust, current intervention techniques often fall short due to its deep-seated, learned nature, highlighting the need for more effective behavioral and psychotherapeutic strategies to mitigate the maladaptive aspects of disgust, both in clinical settings and everyday social interactions.