The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Disgust Sensitivity
There have been few tests of whether exposure to naturalistic or experimental disease-threat inductions alter disgust sensitivity, although it has been hypothesized that this should occur as part of disgust’s disease avoidance function. In the current study, we asked Macquarie university students to...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.600761/full |
| _version_ | 1818612141810253824 |
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| author | Richard J. Stevenson Supreet Saluja Trevor I. Case |
| author_facet | Richard J. Stevenson Supreet Saluja Trevor I. Case |
| author_sort | Richard J. Stevenson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | There have been few tests of whether exposure to naturalistic or experimental disease-threat inductions alter disgust sensitivity, although it has been hypothesized that this should occur as part of disgust’s disease avoidance function. In the current study, we asked Macquarie university students to complete measures of disgust sensitivity, perceived vulnerability to disease (PVD), hand hygiene behavior and impulsivity, during Australia’s Covid-19 pandemic self-quarantine (lockdown) period, in March/April 2020. These data were then compared to earlier Macquarie university, and other local, and overseas student cohorts, to determine if disgust sensitivity and the other measures, were different in the lockdown sample. The most consistent finding in the lockdown sample was of higher core disgust sensitivity (Cohen’s d = 0.4), with some evidence of greater germ aversion on the PVD, and an increase in hand and food-related hygiene, but with little change in impulsivity. The consistency with which greater core disgust sensitivity was observed, suggests exposure to a highly naturalistic disease threat is a plausible cause. Greater disgust sensitivity may have several functional benefits (e.g., hand and food-related hygiene) and may arise implicitly from the threat posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T15:41:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1f72f8faa1814c5592b6c35518442e5c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T15:41:31Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-1f72f8faa1814c5592b6c35518442e5c2022-12-21T22:25:58ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782021-01-011110.3389/fpsyg.2020.600761600761The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Disgust SensitivityRichard J. StevensonSupreet SalujaTrevor I. CaseThere have been few tests of whether exposure to naturalistic or experimental disease-threat inductions alter disgust sensitivity, although it has been hypothesized that this should occur as part of disgust’s disease avoidance function. In the current study, we asked Macquarie university students to complete measures of disgust sensitivity, perceived vulnerability to disease (PVD), hand hygiene behavior and impulsivity, during Australia’s Covid-19 pandemic self-quarantine (lockdown) period, in March/April 2020. These data were then compared to earlier Macquarie university, and other local, and overseas student cohorts, to determine if disgust sensitivity and the other measures, were different in the lockdown sample. The most consistent finding in the lockdown sample was of higher core disgust sensitivity (Cohen’s d = 0.4), with some evidence of greater germ aversion on the PVD, and an increase in hand and food-related hygiene, but with little change in impulsivity. The consistency with which greater core disgust sensitivity was observed, suggests exposure to a highly naturalistic disease threat is a plausible cause. Greater disgust sensitivity may have several functional benefits (e.g., hand and food-related hygiene) and may arise implicitly from the threat posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.600761/fulldisgustinfectionavoidancehand hygienegerm aversion |
| spellingShingle | Richard J. Stevenson Supreet Saluja Trevor I. Case The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Disgust Sensitivity Frontiers in Psychology disgust infection avoidance hand hygiene germ aversion |
| title | The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Disgust Sensitivity |
| title_full | The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Disgust Sensitivity |
| title_fullStr | The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Disgust Sensitivity |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Disgust Sensitivity |
| title_short | The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Disgust Sensitivity |
| title_sort | impact of the covid 19 pandemic on disgust sensitivity |
| topic | disgust infection avoidance hand hygiene germ aversion |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.600761/full |
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