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Articles on Disgust

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In what’s called ‘benign masochism,’ some people find the feeling of disgust pleasurable. Ocskaymark/iStock via Getty Images.

Why are so many people delighted by disgusting things?

Going out of your way to get grossed out might seem like a contradiction of human nature. But it serves a strong evolutionary purpose.
Disgust may be an impediment to many of us adopting more sustainable lifestyles, from considering alternative foods to drinking recycled water www.shutterstock.com

How to get people to eat bugs and drink sewage

Disgust has its evolutionary advantages, but is also a barrier to more sustainable consumption. Marketing may help.
Our reaction to disgusting things may be evolutionarily-derived. Flickr/Rainja

From disgust to deceit – a shorter path than you might think

Feeling queasy? How about deceitful? New research shows feelings of disgust encourage unethical, self-interested behaviours such as lying to get more money. At first look, these findings would suggest…
I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Runs with Scissors

Disgust stops us from doing things we shouldn’t

If you read about the record-breaking “fatberg” lurking under Kingston recently and reacted the same way as me - “Oh my God - a gob of fat in the London sewers as big as a bus - that’s disgusting!” - you’ll…
Things we’d normally turn our noses up at can become more manageable when we’re aroused. marsmet462/Flickr

Dirty but not down: how sexual arousal can dampen disgust

Does it seem strange that we will enthusiastically kiss an attractive person’s mouth, with tongues intertwining and saliva going everywhere, but that we might wrinkle our nose up at the idea of using that…

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