In bad taste: evidence for the oral origins of moral disgust
Abstract
In common parlance, moral transgressions “leave a bad taste in the mouth.” This metaphor implies a link between moral disgust and more primitive forms of disgust related to toxicity and disease, yet convincing evidence for this relationship is still lacking. We tested directly the primitive oral origins of moral disgust by searching for similarity in the facial motor activity evoked by gustatory distaste (elicited by unpleasant tastes), basic disgust (elicited by photographs of contaminants), and moral disgust (elicited by unfair treatment in an economic game). We found that all three states evoked activation of the levator labii muscle region of the face, characteristic of an oralnasal rejection response. These results suggest that immorality elicits the same disgust as disease vectors and bad tastes.
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The findings extend previous reports of risk group differences, suggesting that overall differences in social, communication, and behavioral characteristics between high-risk and low-risk children are relatively subtle.
“Findings of slightly elevated levels of ASD-related characteristics in HR siblings without ASD outcomes extends previous reports of risk group differences, suggesting that overall differences in social, communication, and behavioral characteristics between HR and LR children are relatively subtle.8,10,11,34”
From Beyond Autism: A Baby Siblings Research Consortium Study of High-Risk Children at Three Years of Age (2013) · cites this paper as [34]
Original sensory taste disgust may have been extended in human evolution to include also conceptual forms of disgust, such as in perceived physical contaminations or moral contaminations.
“Original sensory taste disgust may have been extended in human evolution to include also conceptual forms of disgust, such as in perceived physical contaminations (e.g., by germs, mutilation or putrefaction), or moral contaminations (e.g., particular acts of violence or sex or prejudice) (Rozin et al., 2008; Chapman et al., 2009).”
From Evolving Concepts of Emotion and Motivation (2018) · cites this paper as Chapman et al., 2009
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- Authors
- Chapman, H. A., Kim, D. A., Susskind, J. M., & Anderson, A. K.
- Affiliations
- University of Toronto (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Chapman, H. A.
- Anderson, A. K.
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 2009-02-27
- Volume
- 323
- Issue
- 5918
- Pages
- 1222-1226
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W1973931642
- Cited by
- 691
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 41 · 2024: 39 · 2023: 29 · 2022: 49 · 2021: 69 · 2020: 30 · 2019: 40 · 2018: 38 · 2017: 45 · 2016: 30 · 2015: 36 · 2014: 54 · 2013: 54 · 2012: 46
- FWCI
- 20.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Emotions and Moral Behavior
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Ethics, Aesthetics, and Art
- Keywords
- moral disgust, evolution of morality, economic fairness, facial electromyography
- MeSH terms
- Anger, Electromyography, Emotions, Facial Expression, Facial Muscles, Female, Games, Experimental, Humans, Morals, Motor Activity, Social Values, Taste, Young Adult
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