How Disgust Drives Your Politics | Cindy Kam | TED

Summary

In this engaging talk, the speaker explores the emotion of disgust, its role in decision-making, and its evolutionary and cultural significance. Through personal anecdotes and research, they highlight how disgust can influence our actions, such as avoiding contaminated foods or supporting public policies for protection. The speaker also discusses the power of disgust in connecting people across political lines, despite it being an avoidance emotion. Lastly, they emphasize how disgust, although adaptive, can sometimes be misguided, urging us to critically examine its influence on our choices and values.

Takeaways

• 😀 Disgust is an automatic, physiological response that serves as a protective mechanism against potential contaminants or dangers.
• 😀 Disgust is not innate; it is learned through cultural exposure and experiences, typically emerging around ages two or three during potty training.
• 😀 The emotion of disgust can influence decision-making, steering people away from what they perceive as contaminated or impure.
• 😀 Emotions, like disgust, play a significant role in decision-making by helping to quickly communicate feelings and influence choices, often unconsciously.
• 😀 Disgust sensitivity varies among individuals, affecting their reactions to potential contaminants and, consequently, their political and social views.
• 😀 People who are more sensitive to disgust are more likely to support policies that protect their bodies, souls, or society from perceived contamination.
• 😀 Disgust can lead to social connection by uniting people, even across political divides, based on shared avoidance of certain behaviors or contaminants.
• 😀 Disgust can be influenced by imagination, leading to irrational reactions toward things that may appear disgusting but aren't inherently harmful.
• 😀 Disgust can be triggered not only by real experiences but also by imagined scenarios, such as the shape of food, leading to avoidance despite no real harm.
• 😀 The emotion of disgust has societal implications, particularly in politics, where it has been linked to support for certain health and safety regulations, as well as exclusionary policies.

Q & A

What is the significance of cicadas emerging every 13 years in the speaker's family story?

The cicadas' emergence every 13 years serves as an example to discuss the visceral emotion of disgust and its influence on decision-making. It highlights how certain experiences, like eating cicadas, evoke automatic disgust reactions, which can impact people's choices and perspectives.

What role does disgust play in decision-making, according to the speaker?

Disgust plays a significant role in decision-making by serving as an automatic reaction that can influence choices. While disgust helps protect us by steering us away from potential contaminants, it can also lead to connection or shared understanding among individuals with similar disgust sensitivities, even in political contexts.

How does disgust differ from other emotions in terms of its influence on our behavior?

Disgust is unique because it is a physiological response to perceived contamination, whether physical or social. Unlike other emotions, disgust often triggers avoidance behavior and leads to decisions aimed at protecting oneself from harm, whether real or imagined.

How does the concept of 'automaticity of everyday life' relate to the speaker's argument about emotions and decision-making?

'Automaticity of everyday life' refers to the fact that we make a large number of decisions each day, many of which are influenced by emotions like disgust without us consciously analyzing them. Emotions help streamline decision-making by quickly guiding our reactions to situations, minimizing the need for deliberate thought.

What is the evolutionary purpose of disgust, according to psychologists?

Disgust has an evolutionary purpose in protecting humans from potential threats, particularly from food or environments that could cause illness. It developed as a response to avoid contaminated or harmful substances, like spoiled food, helping to ensure survival.

How does disgust sensitivity impact a person's views on public policy?

Individuals with higher disgust sensitivity tend to support policies that they believe will protect them from contamination or harm. These individuals are more likely to advocate for measures that address food safety, public health, and societal protection against perceived threats.

What connection between disgust sensitivity and political opinions is discussed in the transcript?

The transcript discusses how people with higher disgust sensitivity are more likely to support policies that protect against contamination, such as food safety regulations. Disgust sensitivity can also influence opinions on issues like disease outbreaks, leading to support for stricter public health measures, regardless of political affiliation.

Why does the speaker suggest that disgust can lead to both protection and connection?

Disgust can lead to protection by motivating individuals to avoid harmful or contaminated things. However, it can also create connections by aligning people with similar disgust sensitivities, leading to shared views on policies that protect society or individuals from perceived threats, even among political opponents.

How can imagination play a role in the experience of disgust?

Imagination can amplify disgust, as it may cause people to feel repulsed by something that is not inherently harmful. The example of a piece of chocolate with an unfortunate shape illustrates how imagination can make us perceive contamination or unpleasantness where none exists, which can steer us away from otherwise acceptable things.

What is conditioned taste aversion, and how does it relate to disgust?

Conditioned taste aversion is a learned response where an individual avoids a food that previously caused illness or discomfort. This evolutionary adaptation is an example of how disgust helps protect us by steering us away from harmful substances based on past experiences, even when the connection may be irrational.