The Psychology (and Politics) of Disgust | Kathleen McAuliffe | Big Think

TL;DR

Damage to specific brain circuits affects how individuals experience disgust, influencing moral beliefs and political ideologies.

Transcript

Similar parts of the brain - there's a lot of overlap in how we process both visceral disgust and moral disgust. Psychopaths - needless to say they're these cold-blooded killers are over representative in many of our high security jails. And these individuals show damage to many of the same circuits that are involved in disgust. Another group of in... Read More

Key Insights

• 🤢 There is an overlap in brain circuitry processing visceral and moral disgust, impacting moral beliefs and empathy.
• 🤢 Psychopaths and individuals with Huntington's disease show damage to circuits related to disgust, affecting their experiences and behaviors.
• 🤢 People with Huntington's disease tend to lack visceral disgust responses, influencing their behaviors towards normally repulsive stimuli.
• 🤢 Conservatives tend to be more disgust sensitive, possibly due to evolutionary reasons related to germ protection.
• 🤢 Disgust sensitivity influences conservative political ideologies, shaping beliefs towards immigration and tradition-bound practices.
• 🤢 Studies have shown a correlation between disgust sensitivity levels and voting patterns, with higher sensitivity linked to conservative voting behavior.
• 🤢 Germophobia and xenophobia show a strong link, with disgust sensitivity affecting attitudes towards immigration.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does damage to brain circuits impact an individual's experience of disgust?

Damage to brain circuits involved in disgust, as seen in psychopaths and individuals with Huntington's disease, can lead to reduced empathy and altered moral beliefs, influencing behaviors like picking up feces without hesitation.

Q: What is the relationship between disgust sensitivity and conservative political ideologies?

Studies have shown that conservatives tend to be more disgust sensitive, likely due to evolutionary inclinations towards protecting against germs. This sensitivity influences their beliefs, such as opposition to immigration and adherence to tradition-bound practices.

Q: How do studies link disgust sensitivity to voting behavior in the political context?

Research has found that individuals with higher disgust sensitivity are more likely to vote for conservative candidates, as shown in the correlation between disgust sensitivity levels and voting patterns in both representative samples and during specific elections.

Q: What role does brain circuitry play in the interplay between visceral and moral disgust?

The brain circuits involved in processing visceral and moral disgust overlap, leading to individuals with damage to these circuits experiencing alterations in moral beliefs and empathy, as seen in psychopaths and those with Huntington's disease.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Damage to brain circuits involved in disgust can affect moral beliefs and empathy, as seen in psychopaths and individuals with Huntington's disease.

• Conservatives tend to be more disgust sensitive, possibly due to evolutionary reasons related to protection against germs.

• Studies show a correlation between disgust sensitivity and conservative political ideologies, influencing attitudes towards immigration.