Level of Disgust Correlates with Political Spectrum

Discussion in 'Political Discussions' started by Bill Huffman, Oct 30, 2020.

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  1. Bill Huffman

    Bill Huffman Well-Known Member

    I watched this TED talk a few years ago but haven't seen anything since. I found it interesting though.

    QUOTE:
    What does a disgusting image have to do with how you vote? Equipped with surveys and experiments, psychologist David Pizarro demonstrates a correlation between your sensitivity to disgusting cues -- a photo of feces, an unpleasant odor -- and your own moral or political conservatism.

    https://www.ted.com/talks/david_pizarro_the_strange_politics_of_disgust?language=en

    Who are more disgusted by gross things, liberals or conservatives? Hint: my dear brother-in-law is very conservative and was so disgusted by his kids dirty diapers that he was not able to change them without gagging.
     
  2. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    There was a time when sides had the same goal and vision for the USA, they argued and disagreed about the way to get there.

    Unlike today when some groups just want power and tear down everything exceptional and good that this country had and has.
    Going around the world apologizing. Politics got in to everything. Sports, Boy Scouts (accused of being homophobic), Girl Scouts, religion, and all aspects of life.
     
  3. Bill Huffman

    Bill Huffman Well-Known Member

    By disgusting things it is talking about fecal matter, vomit, smells that sort of thing that has a revulsion response, NOT politics disgusting things.
     
  4. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    This tired OANN talking point doesn't even mean anything.

    You mean like when Mike Pence went to a football game just so he could publicly leave in a huff when the players didn't behave as he'd prefer?

    Scouting was being openly discriminatory and lost their ability to do so with public resources.
     
  5. Bill Huffman

    Bill Huffman Well-Known Member

    I think Lerner completely misunderstood what this was about.

    This TED talk is about an interesting correlation between the personal revulsion individuals feel when confronted with disgusting things like fecal matter, vomit, bad smells etc. and their political views. From this it would seem that political leanings are more hardwired than many would have guessed. The TED talk (linked in the opening post) is done by the scientist that discovered the correlation but here's a printed article that covers the basic findings.

    https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/03/the-yuck-factor/580465/
     
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  6. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    That's OK - but can he VOTE without gagging? :eek:
     
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  7. Bill Huffman

    Bill Huffman Well-Known Member

    Disgustology is the term coined to describe this general field of study. It would seem to be a difficult thing to test in a controlled setting.

    Seriously though, The Atlantic article described a study of counting bitter taste sensors on the tongue and finding the same strong correlation! So conservative folks are more sensitive to bitter tastes! That is just another finding disgustology that seems amazing to me.
     
  8. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Oh, wow. I may have to make a rush appointment with my disgustologist in a few days .... :eek:
     
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  9. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    While a one-dimensional spectrum obscures the difference, I have the feeling this correlates specially to social conservatism and not fiscal conservatism. Same with those studies that compare amygdala size with political ideology.
     
  10. Bill Huffman

    Bill Huffman Well-Known Member

    That's an interesting theory. It would seem to make sense. They did one study where the idea being tested was whether or not an unpleasant odor would impact decisions. They asked the same set of social political type questions to two groups. One group in an area with an unpleasant odor and a control group. The answers to the questions leaned more conservative in the group with the unpleasant odor in the background. So it apparently made the subjects more conservative in their views.

    So anyway, while I don't remember reading that they explicitly stated social versus political conservativism. I'd guess they have the same conclusion?
     
  11. TeacherBelgium

    TeacherBelgium Well-Known Member

    There is no correlation between one's disgust and one's political preference imho.
    Enough left leaning people who are disgusted by everything too.
    Not just right-wingers.
    Disgust is a reaction that occurs when our brains perceive something as abnormal.
    It can either be a physiological reaction or a sociologically influenced reaction.
    Being disgusted by feces seems like a physiological reaction.
    Unless you are going to say that every left winger loves poop.
    Which I wouldn't believe.
    I think everyone needs to throw up when confronted with the penetrant smell of poop.
     
  12. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    The point of research is so that it won't be a matter of opinion.
     
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  13. Bill Huffman

    Bill Huffman Well-Known Member

    I assume that you didn't read the article because you seem to have mischaracterized the theory. Read the article,
    https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/03/the-yuck-factor/580465/

    There is no question that everyone is repulsed by the smell of poop, for example. What the multiple studies have found is a strong correlation between how strong the revulsion is and the political leanings. It seems that they found a similar correlation in taste buds by counting the taste buds for bitter taste detection.
     
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  14. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    I haven't watched the talk yet, but this very topic is covered at length in The Righteous Mind, one of the books I'm currently reading. The book argues that the preservational instincts of disgust (not wanting that thing to ruin this thing) transfer over to preservationist moral, social and political instincts.

    @TeacherBelgium

    We're not really talking about opinion here, as it turns out to be a testable scientific question. It's either true or it isn't true, and the data can tell us which is which. Since I haven't read anything on the contrary, I'm not aware of what the other side says.

    However, to your point, some people are more disgusted by poop than others and some people are actually turned on by poop. Some people might not like poop, but don't care what other people do with their poop. Some people are extremely bothered by what other people do with their poop.
     
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  15. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Since it took me so long to be satisfied with the wording of my post, Steve and Bill beat me to the punch on everything I said and I come off looking like a plagiarist. :confused:
     
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  16. Mac Juli

    Mac Juli Well-Known Member

    Hello!

    This is not really a surprise. Just bring you to mind how the far-right or the German Nazis characterize their political opponents ("vermin", "scum", "filthy"...). Their language is telling, huh?

    Best regards,
    Mac Juli
     
  17. TeacherBelgium

    TeacherBelgium Well-Known Member

    It's appalling how much hate there is for right leaning people in this thread.
    I have met intolerant people on both the left and the right side.
    I have also met tolerant right wingers.
    There are many tolerant people out there with a right leaning political ideology.
    Not all right wingers are wackos like Trump.
     
  18. Bill Huffman

    Bill Huffman Well-Known Member

    Well I liked your post much more than my own post. I am a sucker for all that poop talk.

    Not true, you're either pulling our leg or are misreading the thread. I don't see any hate being expressed. My sister and brother-in-law were very conservative. I loved them both dearly. My poor brother-in-law was unable to change poopy diapers. He would gag and choke when changing one of his boys diapers when they were little.

    It's a scientific article, not a political article. I suggest you'll find it interesting.
     
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  19. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    In our day and time disgust can be manipulated.
    For example why are my dogs always barking when specific politician appears on the TV.
    Simple the low volume high frequency pitch that dogs hear but not humans and it irritates them.
    Humans also affected but they don't know what drives then nuts.
    But yes look at websites when they want to smear a person they post a modified image, darker, repulsive with a capture of disgusting facial expression.
    Basically like my Drivers License picture .
     
  20. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    There's been none. If you disagree, point it out.
     

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