Disgust

Evolved function and structure.

Bibliographic Data

ID23356271
AuthorsJoshua M Tybur (0000-0002-0462-6508, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), D Lieberman (0000-0003-4266-1395, University of Miami), Robert Kurzban (0000-0001-7695-1513, University of Pennsylvania), Peter Descioli (0000-0001-5915-8564, Brandeis University)
Year2013
Volume120
Issue1
Pages65-84
Publication date2013-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePsychological Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0033-295X • E-ISSN: 1939-1471
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037/a0030778
PMID23205888
OpenAlexW2143523401
LanguageEN
Citations received197
References cited100

Interest in and research on disgust has surged over the past few decades. The field, however, still lacks a coherent theoretical framework for understanding the evolved function or functions of disgust. Here we present such a framework, emphasizing 2 levels of analysis: that of evolved function and that of information processing. Although there is widespread agreement that disgust evolved to motivate the avoidance of contact with disease-causing organisms, there is no consensus about the functions disgust serves when evoked by acts unrelated to pathogen avoidance. Here we suggest that in addition to motivating pathogen avoidance, disgust evolved to regulate decisions in the domains of mate choice and morality. For each proposed evolved function, we posit distinct information processing systems that integrate function-relevant information and account for the trade-offs required of each disgust system. By refocusing the discussion of disgust on computational mechanisms, we recast prior theorizing on disgust into a framework that can generate new lines of empirical and theoretical inquiry.

Biology · Cognitive psychology · Cognitive science · Disgust · Epistemology · Evolutionary biology · Function (biology) · Morality · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social Psychology