Evolution & Human Behavior
Volume 27, Issue 5 , Pages 357-365 , September 2006

My baby doesn't smell as bad as yours: The plasticity of disgust

  • Trevor I. Case

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author.
    • ,
  • Betty M. Repacholi

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
    • ,
  • Richard J. Stevenson

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia

Received 26 July 2005 ,Revised 27 March 2006 ,Accepted 27 March 2006.

References 

  1. Cain WS, Johnson F. Lability of odor pleasantness: Influence of mere exposure. Perception. 1978;7:459–465
  2. Crowne DP, Marlowe D. A new scale of social desirability independent of psychopathology. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 1960;24:349–359
  3. Curtis V, Aunger R, Rabie T. Evidence that disgust evolved to protect from risk of disease. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences. 2004;271:S131–S133
  4. Curtis V, Biran A. Dirt, disgust, and disease. Is hygiene in our genes?. Perspectives in Biology and Medicine. 2001;44:17–31
  5. Davey GC. The ‘disgusting’ spider: The role of disease and illness in the perpetuation of fear of spiders. Society & Animals. 1994;2:17–25
  6. Doty RL. Olfactory communication in humans. Chemical Senses. 1981;6:351–376
  7. Doty RL. The primates III: Humans. In:  Brown RE,  MacDonald DW editor. Social odors in mammals. Vol. 2:Oxford, England: Clarendon Press; 1985;p. 805–832
  8. Doty RL, Orndorff MM, Leyden J, Kligman A. Communication of gender from human axillary odors: Relationship to perceived intensity and hedonicity. Behavioral Biology. 1978;23:373–380
  9. Haidt J, McCauley C, Rozin P. Individual differences in sensitivity to disgust: A scale sampling seven domains of disgust elicitors. Personality and Individual Differences. 1994;16:701–713
  10. Hart BL. Behavioral adaptations to pathogens and parasites: Five strategies. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. 1990;14:273–294
  11. Kaitz M, Eidelman AI. Smell-recognition of newborns by women who are not mothers. Chemical Senses. 1992;17:225–229
  12. Levine JM, McBurney DH. The role of olfaction in social perception and behavior. In:  Herman P,  Zanna MP,  Higgins ET editor. Physical appearance, stigma, and social behavior: The Ontario symposium. Vol. 3:Waterloo: Lawrence Erlbaum; 1986;p. 179–217
  13. McBurney DH, Levine JM, Cavanaugh PH. Psychophysical and social ratings of human body odor. Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin. 1977;3:135–138
  14. Miller WI. The anatomy of disgust. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; 1997;
  15. Porter RH, Moore JD. Human kin recognition by olfactory cues. Physiology & Behavior. 1981;27:493–495
  16. Royzman EB, Sabini J. Something it takes to be an emotion: The interesting case of disgust. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour. 2001;31:29–59
  17. Rozin P, Haidt J, McCauley CR. Disgust. In:  Lewis M,  Haviland JM editor. Handbook of emotions. 2nd ed.. New York, NY: Guilford Press; 2000;p. 637–653
  18. Russell MJ, Mendelson T, Peeke HV. Mothers' identification of their infant's odors. Ethology & Sociobiology. 1983;4:29–31
  19. Schleidt M, Hold B. Human odour and identity. In:  Breipohl W editors. Olfaction and endocrine regulation. London: IRL Press; 1982;p. 181–194
  20. Stevenson RJ, Repacholi BM. Does the source of an interpersonal odour affect disgust? A disease risk model and its alternatives. European Journal of Social Psychology. 2005;35:1–27
  21. Weisfeld GE, Czilli T, Phillips KA, Gall JA, Lichtman CM. Possible olfaction-based mechanisms in human kin recognition and inbreeding avoidance. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. 2003;85:279–295

PII: S1090-5138(06)00019-5

doi: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2006.03.003

Evolution & Human Behavior
Volume 27, Issue 5 , Pages 357-365 , September 2006

Article Tools

* Image Usage & Resolution