Disgust

Disgust is a type of aversive reaction that involves withdrawing from a person or object with strong expressions of revulsion whether real or pretended. Another definition of disgust can be defined as a revulsion response towards potential contamination . Disgust can be described as a universal, basic emotion that functions to help protect an organism from ingesting potentially harmful substances, thereby promoting disease avoidance. It is one of the basic emotions and is typically associated with things that are regarded as unclean, inedible, infectious, gory or otherwise offensive.

In The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, Charles Darwin wrote that disgust refers to something revolting. Disgust is experienced primarily in relation to the sense of taste (either perceived or imagined), and secondarily to anything which causes a similar feeling by sense of smell, touch, or vision. Musically sensitive people may even be disgusted by the cacophony of inharmonious sounds. Research continually has proven a relationship between disgust and anxiety disorders such as spider phobia, blood-injection-injury phobia, and contamination fear related obsessive-compulsive disorder(also known as OCD).

Fear of contamination, by insects, waste products or any kind of corruption, may inspire disgust. In this case, disgust arises from a process of inference from perceptual experience. For example, the understanding that insects have, in the past, caused pestilence may lead to a present-moment extrapolation that certain other insects, however innocuous, are disgusting because they are causing, or could cause, disease.

Disgust is one of the basic emotions of Robert Plutchik's theory of emotions and has been studied extensively by Paul Rozin. It invokes a characteristic facial expression, one of Paul Ekman's six universal facial expressions of emotion. Unlike the emotions of fear, anger, and sadness, disgust is associated with a decrease in heart rate.

Read more about Disgust:  Evolutionary Significance, Cultural Differences, The Neural Basis of Disgust, Body Language, Disgust and Morality, Functions of Disgust, Political and Legal Aspects of Disgust, Animal Research, The Hydra’s Tale: Imagining Disgust

Famous quotes containing the word disgust:

    All is disgust when a man leaves his own nature and does what is unfit.
    Sophocles (497–406/5 B.C.)

    I am a woman, and even if I could proceed with harshness and rigidity, it would disgust me nonetheless.
    Franz Grillparzer (1791–1872)

    Of all the things that oppress me, this sense of the evil working of nature herself—my disgust at her barbarity—clumsiness—darkness—bitter mockery of herself—is the most desolating.
    John Ruskin (1819–F1900)