Testing the relation between disgust and general avoidance behavior

Disgust is posited to serve a disease-avoidance function, signaling the potential presence of a contaminant and encouraging prophylactic behavior. Indeed, some research indicates that disgust sensitivity is associated with avoidance of specific, disgust-related stimuli. However, disgust may be related to more general behavioral avoidance tendencies, but relatively little research has empirically tested this link. Across two studies, we sought to fill this gap. In Study 1, participants completed measures of disgust sensitivity, as well as a performance-based task and a self-report measure of approach-avoidance tendencies. Greater disgust sensitivity was generally correlated with more self-reported avoidance tendencies and more avoidance behavior of positive stimuli in the performance-based task. In Study 2, participants were randomly assigned to either a disgust or control condition, which entailed consuming disgusting flavored or normally flavored jellybeans, respectively. They then completed the performance-based measure of avoidance. Participants in the disgust condition exhibited more avoidance behavior than participants in the control condition. Across both studies, disgust was associated with avoidance tendencies. These findings have broad implications for the role of disgust is shaping worldview and attitudes, in addition to disease avoidance.