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Disgust sensitivity is primarily associated with purity-based moral judgments.

Fieke M A Wagemans1, Mark J Brandt1, Marcel Zeelenberg1

  • 1Department of Social Psychology, Tilburg University.

Emotion (Washington, D.C.)
|September 6, 2017
PubMed
Summary

Disgust sensitivity strongly influences moral judgments, particularly concerning purity-based issues. This research clarifies how individual disgust sensitivity connects to specific moral domains, supporting Moral Foundations Theory.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Moral Psychology
  • Social Psychology

Background:

  • Individual differences in disgust sensitivity are linked to moral judgments and attitudes.
  • Existing theories offer conflicting predictions regarding the scope of this association across different moral domains.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically investigate the relationship between disgust sensitivity and moral judgments across various moral domains.
  • To determine if disgust sensitivity is specific to purity-based moral judgments or extends to other moral domains.

Main Methods:

  • Conducted 5 studies with a total of 1,104 participants.
  • Assessed disgust sensitivity and moral condemnation across different moral domains (purity, authority, loyalty, care, fairness, liberty).
  • Employed meta-analytic techniques to synthesize findings.

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Main Results:

  • Disgust sensitivity showed a significantly stronger association with moral condemnation of purity-based transgressions (meta-analytic r = .40).
  • Associations with other moral domains were weaker (range meta-analytic rs: .07–.27).
  • Findings consistently supported a specific link between disgust sensitivity and purity concerns.

Conclusions:

  • Disgust sensitivity is primarily associated with moral judgments related to the purity domain.
  • Results align with Moral Foundations Theory, suggesting personality traits influence sensitivity to specific moral issues.
  • This research provides empirical evidence for the domain-specific nature of disgust sensitivity in moral cognition.