[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.57,0:00:05.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In the 17th century, a woman named Giulia Tofana
Dialogue: 0,0:00:05.10,0:00:07.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,had a very successful perfume business.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:07.81,0:00:10.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For over 50 years she ran it.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:10.07,0:00:12.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It sort of ended abruptly when she was executed — (Laughter) —
Dialogue: 0,0:00:12.85,0:00:18.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for murdering 600 men. You see, it wasn't a very good perfume.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:18.28,0:00:22.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact, it was completely odorless and tasteless and colorless,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:22.15,0:00:25.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but as a poison, it was the best money could buy,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.47,0:00:29.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so women flocked to her in order to murder their husbands.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:29.26,0:00:34.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It turns out that poisoners were a valued and feared group,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:34.52,0:00:38.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because poisoning a human being is a quite difficult thing.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:38.69,0:00:42.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The reason is, we have sort of a built-in poison detector.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:42.03,0:00:45.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You can see this as early as even in newborn infants.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:45.29,0:00:47.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you are willing to do this, you can take a couple of drops
Dialogue: 0,0:00:47.86,0:00:50.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of a bitter substance or a sour substance,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:50.43,0:00:54.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you'll see that face, the tongue stick out, the wrinkled nose,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:54.20,0:00:57.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as if they're trying to get rid of what's in their mouth.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:57.07,0:01:00.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This reaction expands into adulthood and becomes
Dialogue: 0,0:01:00.02,0:01:03.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sort of a full-blown disgust response, no longer just
Dialogue: 0,0:01:03.54,0:01:05.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about whether or not we're about to be poisoned,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:05.100,0:01:08.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but whenever there's a threat of physical contamination
Dialogue: 0,0:01:08.95,0:01:13.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from some source. But the face remains strikingly similar.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:13.08,0:01:17.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It has expanded more, though, than just keeping us away
Dialogue: 0,0:01:17.04,0:01:19.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from physical contaminants, and there's a growing
Dialogue: 0,0:01:19.22,0:01:22.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,body of evidence to suggest that, in fact, this emotion
Dialogue: 0,0:01:22.70,0:01:25.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of disgust now influences our moral beliefs
Dialogue: 0,0:01:25.74,0:01:29.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and even our deeply held political intuitions.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:29.64,0:01:33.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Why this might be the case?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:33.27,0:01:36.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We can understand this process by understanding
Dialogue: 0,0:01:36.27,0:01:39.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a little bit about emotions in general. So the basic human emotions,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:39.42,0:01:42.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,those kinds of emotions that we share with all other human beings,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:42.61,0:01:45.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,exist because they motivate us to do good things
Dialogue: 0,0:01:45.42,0:01:47.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they keep us away from doing bad things.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:47.73,0:01:51.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So by and large, they are good for our survival.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:51.11,0:01:53.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Take the emotion of fear, for instance. It keeps us away
Dialogue: 0,0:01:53.92,0:01:56.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from doing things that are really, really risky.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:56.42,0:02:00.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This photo taken just before his death — (Laughter) —
Dialogue: 0,0:02:00.26,0:02:03.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is actually a — No, one reason this photo is interesting
Dialogue: 0,0:02:03.11,0:02:06.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is because most people would not do this, and if they did,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:06.72,0:02:08.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they would not live to tell it, because fear would have
Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.72,0:02:12.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,kicked in a long time ago to a natural predator.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:12.40,0:02:16.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Just like fear offers us protective benefits, disgust seems
Dialogue: 0,0:02:16.01,0:02:18.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to do the same thing, except for what disgust does is
Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.34,0:02:20.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,keeps us away from not things that might eat us,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:20.94,0:02:23.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or heights, but rather things that might poison us,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:23.60,0:02:26.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or give us disease and make us sick.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:26.20,0:02:29.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So one of the features of disgust that makes it such
Dialogue: 0,0:02:29.46,0:02:34.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,an interesting emotion is that it's very, very easy to elicit,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:34.24,0:02:37.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in fact more so than probably any of the other basic emotions,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:37.12,0:02:39.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and so I'm going to show you that with a couple of images
Dialogue: 0,0:02:39.49,0:02:41.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I can probably make you feel disgust.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:41.37,0:02:44.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So turn away. I'll tell you when you can turn back.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:44.57,0:02:45.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:02:45.70,0:02:50.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I mean, you see it every day, right? I mean, come on. (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:02:50.03,0:02:51.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Audience: Ewww.)
Dialogue: 0,0:02:51.25,0:02:54.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Okay, turn back, if you didn't look.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:54.26,0:02:56.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Those probably made a lot of you in the audience
Dialogue: 0,0:02:56.79,0:03:00.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,feel very, very disgusted, but if you didn't look,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:00.63,0:03:03.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I can tell you about some of the other things that have been shown
Dialogue: 0,0:03:03.16,0:03:05.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sort of across the world to make people disgusted,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:05.84,0:03:09.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,things like feces, urine, blood, rotten flesh.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:09.44,0:03:11.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These are the sorts of things that it makes sense
Dialogue: 0,0:03:11.28,0:03:14.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for us to stay away from, because they might actually contaminate us.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:14.53,0:03:16.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact, just having a diseased appearance
Dialogue: 0,0:03:16.83,0:03:19.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or odd sexual acts, these things are also
Dialogue: 0,0:03:19.23,0:03:22.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,things that give us a lot of disgust.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:22.22,0:03:24.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Darwin was probably one of the first scientists
Dialogue: 0,0:03:24.60,0:03:26.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to systematically investigate the human emotions,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:26.54,0:03:30.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he pointed to the universal nature and the strength
Dialogue: 0,0:03:30.23,0:03:32.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the disgust response.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:32.08,0:03:35.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is an anecdote from his travels in South America.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:35.35,0:03:37.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"In Tierro del Fuego a native touched with his finger
Dialogue: 0,0:03:37.08,0:03:39.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,some cold preserved meat while I was eating ...
Dialogue: 0,0:03:39.59,0:03:43.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and plainly showed disgust at its softness, whilst I felt
Dialogue: 0,0:03:43.11,0:03:46.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,utter disgust at my food being touched by a naked savage — (Laughter) —
Dialogue: 0,0:03:46.10,0:03:48.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,though his hands did not appear dirty."
Dialogue: 0,0:03:48.26,0:03:53.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He later wrote, "It's okay, some of my best friends are naked savages." (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:03:53.66,0:03:56.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well it turns out it's not only old-timey British scientists
Dialogue: 0,0:03:56.40,0:03:58.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who are this squeamish. I recently got a chance
Dialogue: 0,0:03:58.68,0:04:00.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to talk to Richard Dawkins for a documentary,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:00.98,0:04:04.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I was able to disgust him a bunch of times. Here's my favorite.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:04.84,0:04:07.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Richard Dawkins: "We've evolved around courtship and sex,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:07.21,0:04:10.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are attached to deep-rooted emotions and reactions
Dialogue: 0,0:04:10.23,0:04:14.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that are hard to jettison overnight."
Dialogue: 0,0:04:14.93,0:04:18.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,David Pizarro: So my favorite part of this clip is that
Dialogue: 0,0:04:18.97,0:04:21.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Professor Dawkins actually gagged.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:21.61,0:04:25.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He jumps back, and he gags, and we had to do it three times,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:25.19,0:04:28.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and all three times he gagged. (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:04:28.75,0:04:31.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And he was really gagging. I thought he might throw up on me, actually.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:31.90,0:04:35.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One of the features, though, of disgust,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:35.11,0:04:38.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is not just its universality and its strength,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:38.04,0:04:41.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but the way that it works through association.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:41.08,0:04:44.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So when one disgusting thing touches a clean thing,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:44.82,0:04:48.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that clean thing becomes disgusting, not the other way around.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:48.17,0:04:51.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This makes it very useful as a strategy if you want to
Dialogue: 0,0:04:51.38,0:04:53.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,convince somebody that an object or an individual
Dialogue: 0,0:04:53.14,0:04:56.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or an entire social group is disgusting and should be avoided.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:56.81,0:04:59.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The philosopher Martha Nussbaum points this out
Dialogue: 0,0:04:59.35,0:05:01.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in this quote: "Thus throughout history, certain disgust
Dialogue: 0,0:05:01.44,0:05:04.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,properties -- sliminess, bad smell, stickiness, decay, foulness --
Dialogue: 0,0:05:04.68,0:05:06.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,have been repeatedly and monotonously been associated with ...
Dialogue: 0,0:05:06.98,0:05:10.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Jews, women, homosexuals, untouchables, lower-class people --
Dialogue: 0,0:05:10.83,0:05:14.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all of those are imagined as tainted by the dirt of the body."
Dialogue: 0,0:05:14.34,0:05:17.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Let me give you just some examples of how, some powerful
Dialogue: 0,0:05:17.48,0:05:19.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,examples of how this has been used historically.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:19.85,0:05:23.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This comes from a Nazi children's book published in 1938:
Dialogue: 0,0:05:23.44,0:05:26.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Just look at these guys! The louse-infested beards,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:26.25,0:05:29.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the filthy, protruding ears, those stained, fatty clothes...
Dialogue: 0,0:05:29.56,0:05:32.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Jews often have an unpleasant sweetish odor.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.32,0:05:35.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you have a good nose, you can smell the Jews."
Dialogue: 0,0:05:35.12,0:05:37.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A more modern example comes from people who try to
Dialogue: 0,0:05:37.65,0:05:40.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,convince us that homosexuality is immoral.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:40.11,0:05:43.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is from an anti-gay website, where they said
Dialogue: 0,0:05:43.80,0:05:47.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,gays are "worthy of death for their vile ... sex practices."
Dialogue: 0,0:05:47.07,0:05:50.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They're like "dogs eating their own vomit and sows wallowing in their own feces."
Dialogue: 0,0:05:50.74,0:05:53.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These are disgust properties that are trying to be directly
Dialogue: 0,0:05:53.48,0:05:56.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,linked to the social group that you should not like.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:56.83,0:05:59.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When we were first investigating the role of disgust in
Dialogue: 0,0:05:59.60,0:06:03.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,moral judgment, one of the things we became interested in
Dialogue: 0,0:06:03.47,0:06:07.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was whether or not these sorts of appeals are more likely
Dialogue: 0,0:06:07.78,0:06:10.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to work in individuals who are more easily disgusted.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:10.84,0:06:12.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So while disgust, along with the other basic emotions,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:12.97,0:06:15.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are universal phenomena, it just really is true
Dialogue: 0,0:06:15.58,0:06:17.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that some people are easier to disgust than others.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:17.88,0:06:19.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You could probably see it in the audience members
Dialogue: 0,0:06:19.57,0:06:21.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when I showed you those disgusting images.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:21.63,0:06:24.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The way that we measured this was by a scale that was
Dialogue: 0,0:06:24.33,0:06:26.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,constructed by some other psychologists
Dialogue: 0,0:06:26.66,0:06:29.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that simply asked people across a wide variety of situations
Dialogue: 0,0:06:29.51,0:06:31.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how likely they are to feel disgust.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:31.61,0:06:33.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So here are a couple of examples.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:33.41,0:06:35.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Even if I were hungry, I would not drink a bowl of my
Dialogue: 0,0:06:35.58,0:06:39.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,favorite soup if it had been stirred by a used but thoroughly washed fly-swatter."
Dialogue: 0,0:06:39.39,0:06:40.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Do you agree or disagree?" (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:06:40.95,0:06:43.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"While you are walking through a tunnel under a railroad track,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:43.23,0:06:46.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you smell urine. Would you be very disgusted or not at all disgusted?"
Dialogue: 0,0:06:46.90,0:06:49.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you ask enough of these, you can get a general overall
Dialogue: 0,0:06:49.55,0:06:51.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,score of disgust sensitivity.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:51.91,0:06:54.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It turns out that this score is actually meaningful.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:54.39,0:06:57.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When you bring people into the laboratory and you ask
Dialogue: 0,0:06:57.46,0:07:01.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,them if they're willing to engage in safe but disgusting behaviors
Dialogue: 0,0:07:01.29,0:07:06.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like eating chocolate that's been baked to look like dog poop,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:06.32,0:07:10.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or in this case eating some mealworms that are perfectly healthy but pretty gross,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:10.28,0:07:13.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,your score on that scale actually predicts whether or not
Dialogue: 0,0:07:13.27,0:07:15.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you'll be willing to engage in those behaviors.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:15.61,0:07:18.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The first time that we set out to collect data on this
Dialogue: 0,0:07:18.21,0:07:20.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and associate it with political or moral beliefs,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:20.22,0:07:23.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we found a general pattern --
Dialogue: 0,0:07:23.10,0:07:26.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this is with the psychologists Yoel Inbar and Paul Bloom --
Dialogue: 0,0:07:26.40,0:07:30.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that in fact, across three studies we kept finding
Dialogue: 0,0:07:30.42,0:07:32.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that people who reported that they were easily disgusted
Dialogue: 0,0:07:32.94,0:07:36.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,also reported that they were more politically conservative.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:36.40,0:07:38.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Another way to say this, though, is that people
Dialogue: 0,0:07:38.28,0:07:43.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who are very liberal are very hard to disgust. (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:07:43.69,0:07:47.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In a more recent follow-up study, we were able to look at
Dialogue: 0,0:07:47.96,0:07:50.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a much greater sample, a much larger sample. In this case,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:50.64,0:07:53.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this is nearly 30,000 U.S. respondents,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:53.23,0:07:56.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we find the same pattern. As you can see,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:56.01,0:07:57.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,people who are on the very conservative side
Dialogue: 0,0:07:57.95,0:08:00.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of answering the political orientation scale are
Dialogue: 0,0:08:00.66,0:08:03.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,also much more likely to report that they're easily disgusted.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:03.42,0:08:05.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This data set also allowed us to statistically control
Dialogue: 0,0:08:05.92,0:08:08.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for a number of things that we knew were both related
Dialogue: 0,0:08:08.14,0:08:11.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to political orientation and to disgust sensitivity.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:11.06,0:08:13.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So we were able to control for gender, age, income,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:13.66,0:08:16.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,education, even basic personality variables,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:16.96,0:08:19.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the result stays the same.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:19.26,0:08:22.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When we actually looked at not just self-reported political orientation,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:22.68,0:08:25.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but voting behavior, we were able to look geographically
Dialogue: 0,0:08:25.58,0:08:28.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,across the nation. What we found was that in regions
Dialogue: 0,0:08:28.53,0:08:32.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in which people reported high levels of disgust sensitivity,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:32.43,0:08:34.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,McCain got more votes.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:34.41,0:08:37.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So it not only predicted self-reported political orientation,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:37.53,0:08:39.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but actual voting behavior. And also we were able,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:39.90,0:08:42.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with this sample, to look across the world,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:42.60,0:08:46.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in 121 different countries we asked the same questions,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:46.19,0:08:50.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and as you can see, this is 121 countries collapsed
Dialogue: 0,0:08:50.12,0:08:52.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,into 10 different geographical regions.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:52.49,0:08:55.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,No matter where you look, what this is plotting is the size
Dialogue: 0,0:08:55.11,0:08:58.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the relationship between disgust sensitivity and political orientation,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:58.52,0:09:02.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and no matter where we looked, we saw a very similar effect.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:02.16,0:09:05.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Other labs have actually looked at this as well
Dialogue: 0,0:09:05.60,0:09:07.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,using different measures of disgust sensitivity,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:07.77,0:09:10.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so rather than asking people how easily disgusted they are,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:10.33,0:09:12.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they hook people up to physiological measures,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:12.67,0:09:14.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in this case skin conductance.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:14.29,0:09:16.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And what they've demonstrated is that people who report
Dialogue: 0,0:09:16.52,0:09:20.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,being more politically conservative are also more physiologically aroused
Dialogue: 0,0:09:20.65,0:09:24.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when you show them disgusting images like the ones that I showed you.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:24.22,0:09:26.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Interestingly, what they also showed in a finding
Dialogue: 0,0:09:26.39,0:09:30.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that we kept getting in our previous studies as well
Dialogue: 0,0:09:30.42,0:09:34.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was that one of the strongest influences here is that
Dialogue: 0,0:09:34.16,0:09:36.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,individuals who are very disgust-sensitive not only are
Dialogue: 0,0:09:36.37,0:09:38.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,more likely to report being politically conservative, but
Dialogue: 0,0:09:38.46,0:09:41.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they're also very much more opposed to gay marriage
Dialogue: 0,0:09:41.47,0:09:43.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and homosexuality and pretty much a lot of
Dialogue: 0,0:09:43.62,0:09:47.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the socio-moral issues in the sexual domain.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:47.38,0:09:50.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So physiological arousal predicted, in this study,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:50.87,0:09:52.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,attitudes toward gay marriage.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:52.57,0:09:55.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But even with all these data linking disgust sensitivity
Dialogue: 0,0:09:55.79,0:09:58.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and political orientation, one of the questions that remains is
Dialogue: 0,0:09:58.95,0:10:02.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what is the causal link here? Is it the case that
Dialogue: 0,0:10:02.02,0:10:05.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,disgust really is shaping political and moral beliefs?
Dialogue: 0,0:10:05.29,0:10:07.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We have to resort to experimental methods to answer this,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:07.85,0:10:10.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and so what we can do is actually bring people into the lab
Dialogue: 0,0:10:10.63,0:10:13.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and disgust them and compare them to a control group
Dialogue: 0,0:10:13.05,0:10:15.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that hasn't been disgusted. It turns out that over
Dialogue: 0,0:10:15.46,0:10:18.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the past five years a number of researchers have done this,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:18.19,0:10:21.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and by and large the results have all been the same,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:21.01,0:10:23.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that when people are feeling disgust, their attitudes
Dialogue: 0,0:10:23.44,0:10:25.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,shift towards the right of the political spectrum,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:25.54,0:10:28.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,toward more moral conservatism as well.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:28.22,0:10:31.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So this is whether you use a foul odor, a bad taste,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:31.90,0:10:37.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from film clips, from post-hypnotic suggestions of disgust,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:37.19,0:10:39.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,images like the ones I've shown you, even just
Dialogue: 0,0:10:39.56,0:10:41.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,reminding people that disease is prevalent and they should
Dialogue: 0,0:10:41.52,0:10:45.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,be wary of it and wash up, right, to keep clean,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:45.16,0:10:47.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,these all have similar effects on judgment.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:47.94,0:10:50.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Let me just give you an example from a recent study
Dialogue: 0,0:10:50.30,0:10:53.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that we conducted. We asked participants
Dialogue: 0,0:10:53.26,0:10:57.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to just simply give us their opinion of a variety of social groups,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:57.96,0:11:02.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we either made the room smell gross or not.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:02.37,0:11:05.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When the room smelled gross, what we saw was that
Dialogue: 0,0:11:05.54,0:11:09.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,individuals actually reported more negative attitudes toward gay men.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:09.22,0:11:11.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Disgust didn't influence attitudes toward all the other
Dialogue: 0,0:11:11.44,0:11:13.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,social groups that we asked, including African-Americans,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:13.83,0:11:17.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the elderly. It really came down to the attitudes they had
Dialogue: 0,0:11:17.69,0:11:19.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,toward gay men.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:19.09,0:11:22.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In another set of studies we actually simply reminded people --
Dialogue: 0,0:11:22.65,0:11:24.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this was at a time when the swine flu was going around --
Dialogue: 0,0:11:24.57,0:11:27.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we reminded people that in order to prevent the spread
Dialogue: 0,0:11:27.06,0:11:30.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the flu that they ought to wash their hands.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:30.78,0:11:35.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For some participants, we actually had them take questionnaires
Dialogue: 0,0:11:35.19,0:11:38.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,next to a sign that reminded them to wash their hands.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:38.11,0:11:40.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And what we found was that just taking a questionnaire
Dialogue: 0,0:11:40.63,0:11:44.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,next to this hand-sanitizing reminder made individuals
Dialogue: 0,0:11:44.34,0:11:47.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,report being more politically conservative.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:47.51,0:11:49.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And when we asked them a variety of questions about
Dialogue: 0,0:11:49.54,0:11:52.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the rightness or wrongness of certain acts, what we also
Dialogue: 0,0:11:52.97,0:11:55.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,found was that simply being reminded that they ought
Dialogue: 0,0:11:55.28,0:11:58.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to wash their hands made them more morally conservative.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:58.59,0:12:00.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In particular, when we asked them questions about
Dialogue: 0,0:12:00.89,0:12:04.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sort of taboo but fairly harmless sexual practices,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:04.66,0:12:07.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,just being reminded that they ought to wash their hands
Dialogue: 0,0:12:07.29,0:12:09.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,made them think that they were more morally wrong.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:09.85,0:12:12.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Let me give you an example of what I mean by harmless
Dialogue: 0,0:12:12.25,0:12:15.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but taboo sexual practice. We gave them scenarios.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:15.02,0:12:18.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One of them said a man is house-sitting for his grandmother.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:18.77,0:12:21.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When his grandmother's away, he has sex with his girlfriend
Dialogue: 0,0:12:21.49,0:12:22.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on his grandma's bed.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:22.84,0:12:25.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In another one, we said a woman enjoys masturbating
Dialogue: 0,0:12:25.34,0:12:29.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with her favorite teddy bear cuddled next to her. (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:12:29.23,0:12:31.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,People find these to be more morally abhorrent
Dialogue: 0,0:12:31.86,0:12:36.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if they've been reminded to wash their hands. (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:12:36.18,0:12:39.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:12:39.37,0:12:42.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Okay. The fact that emotions influence our judgment
Dialogue: 0,0:12:42.90,0:12:44.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,should come as no surprise. I mean,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:44.78,0:12:46.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that's part of how emotions work.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:46.18,0:12:47.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They not only motivate you to behave in certain ways,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:47.75,0:12:49.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but they change the way you think.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:49.83,0:12:52.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In the case of disgust, what is a little bit more surprising
Dialogue: 0,0:12:52.62,0:12:56.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is the scope of this influence. It makes perfect sense,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:56.07,0:12:58.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it's a very good emotion for us to have, that disgust
Dialogue: 0,0:12:58.95,0:13:01.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,would make me change the way that I perceive
Dialogue: 0,0:13:01.60,0:13:04.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the physical world whenever contamination is possible.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:04.64,0:13:07.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It makes less sense that an emotion that was built
Dialogue: 0,0:13:07.58,0:13:10.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to prevent me from ingesting poison should predict
Dialogue: 0,0:13:10.48,0:13:13.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who I'm going to vote for in the upcoming presidential election.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:13.86,0:13:16.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The question of whether disgust ought to influence
Dialogue: 0,0:13:16.67,0:13:19.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,our moral and political judgments
Dialogue: 0,0:13:19.02,0:13:22.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,certainly has to be complex, and might depend on exactly
Dialogue: 0,0:13:22.16,0:13:24.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what judgments we're talking about, and as a scientist,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:24.84,0:13:26.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we have to conclude sometimes that the scientific method
Dialogue: 0,0:13:26.84,0:13:30.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is just ill-equipped to answer these sorts of questions.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:30.35,0:13:32.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But one thing that I am fairly certain about is,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:32.40,0:13:35.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at the very least, what we can do with this research is
Dialogue: 0,0:13:35.21,0:13:38.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,point to what questions we ought to ask in the first place.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:38.07,0:13:42.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you. (Applause)