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Disgust: evolved function and structure
Abstract
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.
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“Moreover, disgust also affects our moral judgment [38,40,42].”
From Fatal attraction: the intuitive appeal of GMO opposition (2015) · cites this paper as [38]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Tybur, J. M., Lieberman, D., Kurzban, R., & DeScioli, P.
- Affiliations
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (NL)
- University of Miami (US)
- University of Pennsylvania (US)
- Brandeis University (US)
- Venue
- Psychological Review
- Published
- 2013-01
- Volume
- 120
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 65-84
- ISSN
- 0033-295X (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1471
- OpenAlex
- W2143523401
- Semantic Scholar
- eb58d867cb60702f4e5ba988aeff27e895483d72
- Cited by
- 810
- References
- 232
- Citations by year
- 2026: 46 · 2025: 40 · 2024: 59 · 2023: 56 · 2022: 89 · 2021: 113 · 2020: 70 · 2019: 73 · 2018: 55 · 2017: 53 · 2016: 53 · 2015: 52 · 2014: 36 · 2013: 12
- FWCI
- 16.69
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Review (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- VU Research Portal (submittedVersion)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Emotions and Moral Behavior
- Keywords
- disgust, pathogen avoidance, mate choice, morality, information processing, computational model, evolutionary psychology
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Biological, Avoidance Learning, Cognition, Emotions, Humans, Psychological Theory
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