Skin-transmitted pathogens and the heebie jeebies: evidence for a subclass of disgust stimuli that evoke a qualitatively unique emotional response
Open accessAbstract
Skin-transmitted pathogens have threatened humans since ancient times. We investigated whether skin-transmitted pathogens were a subclass of disgust stimuli that evoked an emotional response that was related to, but distinct from, disgust and fear. We labelled this response "the heebie jeebies". In Study 1, coding of 76 participants' experiences of disgust, fear, and the heebie jeebies showed that the heebie jeebies was elicited by unique stimuli which produced skin-crawling sensations and an urge to protect the skin. In Experiment 2,350 participants' responses to skin-transmitted pathogen, fear-inducing, and disgust-inducing vignettes showed that the vignettes elicited sensations and urges which loaded onto heebie jeebies, fear, and disgust factors, respectively. Experiment 3 largely replicated findings from Experiment 2 using video stimuli (178 participants). Results are consistent with the notion that skin-transmitted pathogens are a subclass of disgust stimuli which motivate behaviours that are functionally consistent with disgust yet qualitatively distinct.
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Evidence suggests that components of the chills may signal a warning of potential pathogens penetrating the skin.
“However, there is also evidence that components of the chills may signal a warning of potential pathogens penetrating the skin (discussed in Blake, Yih, Zhao, Sung, & Harmon-Jones, 2016).”
From Conducting exposure and response prevention treatment for contamination fears during COVID-19: The behavioral immune system impact on clinician approaches to treatment (2020) · cites this paper as Blake, Yih, Zhao, Sung, & Harmon-Jones, 2016
Cites
Origins of major human infectious diseases
Wolfe, N. D., Dunavan, C. P., & Diamond, J. (2007) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature05775 · Cited by 1,867 · see citing works
Disgust: evolved function and structure
Tybur, J. M., Lieberman, D., Kurzban, R., & DeScioli, P. (2013) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037/a0030778 · Cited by 810 · see citing works
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On the importance of both dimensional and discrete models of emotion
Harmon-Jones, E., Harmon-Jones, C., & Summerell, E. (2017) · Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.3390/bs7040066 · Cited by 201 · see citing works
Self-citationEctoparasite defence in humans: Relationships to pathogen avoidance and clinical implications
Kupfer, T. R., & Fessler, D. M. T. (2018) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2017.0207 · Cited by 85 · see citing works
McKay, D., Minaya, C., & Storch, E. A. (2020) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2020.102270 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Mancusi, L., & McKay, D. (2021) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2021.102366 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
- Authors
- Blake, K. R., Yih, J., Zhao, K., Sung, B., & Harmon-Jones, C.
- Affiliations
- UNSW Sydney (AU)
- Vanderbilt University (US)
- The University of Melbourne (AU)
- The University of Queensland (AU)
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Corresponding author
- Blake, Khandis R.
- Venue
- Cognition and Emotion
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2016-07-05
- Volume
- 31
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1153-1168
- ISSN
- 0269-9931 (ISSN-L)
- 1464-0600
- OpenAlex
- W2472732331
- Cited by
- 27
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 1
- FWCI
- 2.37
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- handle.unsw.edu.au
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-nd
- Locations
- Cognition & Emotion (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UNSWorks (UNSW Sydney) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- eSpace (Curtin University) (submittedVersion)
- Minerva Access (University of Melbourne) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Society for Australian Social Psychologists
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Emotions and Moral Behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Aesthetic Perception and Analysis
- Keywords
- disgust, fear, emotional responses
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Communicable Diseases, Emotions, Female, Humans, Male, Photic Stimulation, Skin, Young Adult
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