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Schwambergová D, Kaňková Š, Třebická Fialová J, Hlaváčová J, Havlíček J. Pandemic elevates sensitivity to moral disgust but not pathogen disgust. Sci Rep 2023; 13:8206. [PMID: 37217674 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35375-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The behavioral immune system, with disgust as its motivational part, serves as the first line of defense in organisms' protection against pathogens. Laboratory studies indicate that disgust sensitivity adaptively adjusts to simulated environmental threat, but whether disgust levels similarly change in response to real-life threats, such as a pandemic, remains largely unknown. In a preregistered within-subject study, we tested whether the threat posed by the Covid-19 pandemic would lead to increased perceived disgust. The perception of threat was induced by testing during two phases of the Covid-19 pandemic (periods of high vs. low pathogen threat). We found heightened levels of moral disgust during a "wave" of the pandemic, but the effect was not observed in the domain of pathogen or sexual disgust. Moreover, the age of respondents and levels of trait anxiety were positively associated with pathogen and moral disgust, suggesting that variation in disgust sensitivity may be based chiefly on stable characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dagmar Schwambergová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 44, Prague 2, Czech Republic.
- National Institute of Mental Health, Topolová 748, 250 67, Klecany, Czech Republic.
| | - Šárka Kaňková
- Department of Philosophy and History of Science, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 44, Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - Jitka Třebická Fialová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 44, Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - Jana Hlaváčová
- Department of Philosophy and History of Science, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 44, Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Havlíček
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 44, Prague 2, Czech Republic
- National Institute of Mental Health, Topolová 748, 250 67, Klecany, Czech Republic
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aan het Rot M, Friederici C, Krause SC, de Jong PJ. Interpersonal responses to facial expressions of disgust, anger, and happiness in individuals with varying levels of social anxiety. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0263990. [PMID: 35390004 PMCID: PMC8989355 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Facial expression recognition has been studied extensively, including in relation to social anxiety. Nonetheless, a limited number of studies examined recognition of disgust expressions. Results suggest that disgust is perceived as more threatening than anger, and thus may invite more extreme responses. However, few studies have examined responses to facial expressions. These studies have focused on approach-avoidance responses. Our primary aim was to examine to what extent anger and disgust expressions might invite interpersonal responses in terms of quarrelsomeness-agreeableness and dominance-submissiveness. As social anxiety has been previously associated with a heightened sensitivity to anger and disgust expressions, as well as with alterations in quarrelsomeness-agreeableness and dominance-submissiveness, our secondary aim was to examine whether social anxiety would moderate these responses. METHODS Participants were 55 women and 43 men who completed social anxiety measures, including the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation scale, and two tasks that involved "targets" expressing anger, disgust, or happiness at 0%, 50%, or 100%. Participants first indicated how quarrelsome or agreeable and how dominant or submissive they would be towards each target, and then how much they would avoid or approach each target. RESULTS While 100% disgust and anger expressions invited similar levels of quarrelsomeness and avoidance, 50% disgust invited more quarrelsomeness and stronger avoidance than 50% anger. While these patterns were not meaningfully moderated by social anxiety, individuals with higher BFNE scores showed a relatively strong approach of happy faces. LIMITATIONS Actual interpersonal behaviour in response to facial expressions was not assessed. CONCLUSIONS Findings support the relevance of disgust as an interpersonal signal and suggest that, especially at mild intensity, disgust may have a stronger impact than anger on people's quarrelsomeness and avoidance responses. Findings provided no support for the view that people with social anxiety would be particularly responsive to disgust (or anger) expressions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marije aan het Rot
- Department of Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | | | - Sandra C. Krause
- Department of Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Peter J. de Jong
- Department of Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
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Ji JL, Baee S, Zhang D, Calicho-Mamani CP, Meyer MJ, Funk D, Portnow S, Barnes L, Teachman BA. Multi-session online interpretation bias training for anxiety in a community sample. Behav Res Ther 2021; 142:103864. [PMID: 33966880 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2021.103864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The present study assessed target engagement, preliminary efficacy, and feasibility as primary outcomes of a free multi-session online cognitive bias modification of interpretation (CBM-I) intervention for anxiety in a large community sample. High trait anxious participants (N = 807) were randomly assigned to a CBM-I condition: 1) Positive training (90% positive-10% negative); 2) 50% positive-50% negative training; or 3) no-training control. Further, half of each CBM-I condition was randomized to either an anxious imagery prime or a neutral imagery prime. Due to attrition, results from six out of eight sessions were analyzed using structural equation modeling of latent growth curves. Results for the intent-to-treat sample indicate that for target engagement, consistent with predictions, decreases in negative interpretations over time were significantly greater among those receiving positive CBM-I training compared to no-training or 50-50 training, and vice-versa for increases in positive interpretations. For intervention efficacy, the decrease in anxiety symptoms over time was significantly greater among those receiving positive CBM-I training compared to no-training. Interaction effects with imagery prime were more variable with a general pattern of stronger results for those completing the anxious imagery prime. Findings indicate that online CBM-I positive training is feasible and shows some promising results, although attrition rates were very high for later training sessions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie L Ji
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Australia; Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Virginia, United States.
| | - Sonia Baee
- School of Engineering, University of Virginia, Virginia, United States
| | - Diheng Zhang
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Virginia, United States; Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, United States
| | | | - M Joseph Meyer
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Virginia, United States
| | | | - Samuel Portnow
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Virginia, United States
| | - Laura Barnes
- School of Engineering, University of Virginia, Virginia, United States
| | - Bethany A Teachman
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Virginia, United States
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Olivera-La Rosa A, Chuquichambi EG, Ingram GP. Keep your (social) distance: Pathogen concerns and social perception in the time of COVID-19. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2020; 166:110200. [PMID: 32834278 PMCID: PMC7296322 DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2020.110200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2020] [Revised: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Previous research suggests that individual differences in pathogen disgust sensitivity and social anxiety predict avoidance behavior, especially of pathogen cues, and reduced tolerance for social ambiguity. Conversely, generalized social trust is associated with approach behavior and a greater tolerance for social ambiguity. We conducted an online study (N = 1078) to test these predictions in the context of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Specifically, we assessed whether individual differences in pathogen disgust sensitivity, social anxiety and generalized social trust predicted judgments of trustworthiness, desired social distance and perceptions of sickness of target faces wearing surgical masks. Our results showed that (a) high sensitivity to pathogen disgust predicted lower judgments of trustworthiness and lower social desirability; (b) high social anxiety predicted higher perceptions of illness and lower judgments of trustworthiness; and (c) generalized social trust predicted higher judgments of trustworthiness and lower perceptions of illness of target faces. Further, we found that mask wearers were perceived as more likely to be ill, more trustworthy and more socially desirable than the same faces presented to a control group, without the surgical mask superimposed. Results are discussed in terms of perceived compliance with an emerging social norm overriding the intrinsic untrustworthiness of masked faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Olivera-La Rosa
- Department of Psychology and Social Sciences, Universidad Católica Luis Amigó, Transversal 514A #67B 90, Medellín, Colombia
- Human Evolution and Cognition Group, associated group to IFISC (University of the Balearic Islands – CSIC), Carr. de Valldemossa, km 7.5, 07122, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | - Erick G. Chuquichambi
- Human Evolution and Cognition Group, associated group to IFISC (University of the Balearic Islands – CSIC), Carr. de Valldemossa, km 7.5, 07122, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | - Gordon P.D. Ingram
- Department of Psychology, Universidad de Los Andes, Cra. 1 #18a-12, Bogotá, Colombia
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Prior theory and research has implicated disgust as relevant to some, but not all phobias. AIMS The current study examined whether anxiety sensitivity is more relevant to certain specific phobias and whether disgust sensitivity is more relevant to other specific phobias. METHOD Participants (n = 201) completed measures of anxiety sensitivity, disgust sensitivity and measures of aversive reactions in the presence of two fear-relevant stimuli (i.e. heights and small, enclosed spaces) and two disgust-relevant stimuli (i.e. spiders and blood/injury). RESULTS Results of multiple linear regression analyses revealed that disgust sensitivity showed significant associations with aversive reactions in all four stimulus domains after controlling for anxiety sensitivity. After controlling for disgust sensitivity, anxiety sensitivity showed associations with the two fear-relevant phobias but not with the two disgust-relevant phobias included in this study. Anxiety sensitivity also showed an association with variance specific to one of the two fear-relevant specific phobias included in the study. Disgust sensitivity also showed associations with variance specific to both of the disgust-relevant phobias included in the study but not with variance specific to either of the fear-relevant specific phobias. CONCLUSIONS These results provide evidence that the distinction between fear-relevant and disgust-relevant specific phobias is meaningful and also implicate disgust sensitivity as relevant to aversive reactions to all stimuli included in this study.
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Olatunji BO, Armstrong T, Elwood L. Is Disgust Proneness Associated With Anxiety and Related Disorders? A Qualitative Review and Meta-Analysis of Group Comparison and Correlational Studies. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2017. [DOI: 10.1177/1745691616688879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Research suggests that disgust may be linked to the etiology of some anxiety-related disorders. The present investigation reviews this literature and employs separate meta-analyses of clinical group comparison and correlational studies to examine the association between disgust proneness and anxiety-related disorder symptoms. Meta-analysis of 43 group comparison studies revealed those high in anxiety disorder symptoms reported significantly more disgust proneness than those low in anxiety symptoms. Although this effect was not moderated by clinical versus analogue studies or type of disorder, larger group differences were observed for those high in anxiety symptoms associated with contagion concerns compared to those high in anxiety symptoms not associated with contagion concerns. Similarly, meta-analysis of correlational data across 83 samples revealed moderate associations between disgust proneness and anxiety-related disorder symptoms. Moderator analysis revealed that the association between disgust proneness and anxiety-related disorder symptoms was especially robust for anxiety symptoms associated with contagion concerns. After controlling for measures of negative affect, disgust proneness continued to be moderately correlated with anxiety-related disorder symptoms. However, negative affect was no longer significantly associated with symptoms of anxiety-related disorders when controlling for disgust proneness. The implications of these findings are discussed in the context of a novel transdiagnostic model.
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Comtesse H, Stemmler G. Fear and disgust in women: Differentiation of cardiovascular regulation patterns. Biol Psychol 2016; 123:166-176. [PMID: 27939702 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2016.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2016] [Revised: 10/13/2016] [Accepted: 12/07/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Both fear and disgust facilitate avoidance of threat. From a functional view, however, cardiovascular responses to fear and disgust should differ as they prepare for appropriate behavior to protect from injury and infection, respectively. Therefore, we examined the cardiovascular responses to fear and contamination-related disgust in comparison to an emotionally neutral state induced with auditory scripts and film clips in female participants. Ten emotion and motivation self-reports and ninecardiovascular response factors derived from 23 cardiovascular variables served as dependent variables. Self-reports confirmed the specific induction of fear and disgust. In addition, fear and disgust differed in their cardiovascular response patterning. For fear, we observed specific increases in factors indicating vasoconstriction and cardiac pump function. For disgust, we found specific increases in vagal cardiac control and decreases in myocardial contractility. These findings provide support for the cardiovascular specificity of fear and disgust and are discussed in terms of a basic emotions approach.
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Comtesse H, Stemmler G. Cardiovascular regulation pattern of contamination-related disgust: Consistency and context dependence. Psychophysiology 2016; 53:1407-16. [DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2015] [Accepted: 05/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Comtesse
- Faculty of Psychology; University of Marburg; Marburg Germany
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Alterations of the attentional networks in patients with anxiety disorders. J Anxiety Disord 2011; 25:888-95. [PMID: 21641180 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2011.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2010] [Revised: 04/28/2011] [Accepted: 04/29/2011] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Cognitive theories of emotion try to explain how anxious people attend to the world. Despite the increase in empirical research in this field, the specific or general attentional impairments of patients with anxiety disorder is not well defined. We decided to investigate the relationship between pathological anxiety and attentional mechanisms from the broader perspective of the attentional networks. In our study, patients with anxiety disorders and control participants carried out a task to assess efficiency of three attentional networks: orienting, alerting, and executive control. The main result was that anxiety disorders are related to both reduced effectiveness of the executive control network and difficulties in disengaging attention from invalid cues, even when using emotionally neutral information. This relationship between these attentional networks and anxiety may in part explain the problems in the day-to-day functioning of these patients.
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van Overveld M, de Jong PJ, Peters ML. The Multi-Dimensional Blood/Injury Phobia Inventory: its psychometric properties and relationship with disgust propensity and disgust sensitivity. J Anxiety Disord 2011; 25:319-25. [PMID: 21075592 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2010.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2009] [Revised: 10/16/2010] [Accepted: 10/19/2010] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The Multi-Dimensional Blood Phobia Inventory (MBPI; Wenzel & Holt, 2003) is the only instrument available that assesses both disgust and anxiety for blood-phobic stimuli. As inflated levels of disgust propensity (i.e., tendency to experience disgust more readily) are often observed in blood phobia, the MBPI appears a promising instrument for disgust research. First, we examined its psychometric properties. Next, it was examined whether disgust sensitivity (i.e., considering experiencing disgust as something horrid) had added predictive value compared to disgust propensity in blood phobia. Therefore, students and university employees (N = 616) completed the MBPI, indices on blood phobia, disgust propensity and sensitivity. The MBPI proved to be reliable and valid. Further, it correlated moderately to high with disgust propensity and sensitivity. Additionally, disgust propensity and sensitivity were both significant predictors for blood phobia. In conclusion, the MBPI appears a valuable addition to the currently available arsenal of indices to investigate blood phobia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark van Overveld
- Marketing Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, PO Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
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