Six dimensions of sexual disgust

Is Degradation in the Eye of the Beholder (or the Researcher)?

When people raise concerns about pornography, they most often are focused on whether pornography increases violence toward women and/or whether it degrades women. While a substantial amount of cross-cultural data suggests that there is no direct link between adult consumption and violence, the question of whether pornography is inherently degrading to women lacks clear answers. As does the question of whether behaviors in pornography that are commonly labeled as degrading are perceived that way when they take place outside pornography. To answer this question about the inherent nature of degradation, we need a better definition and understanding of what particular behaviors people consider to be degrading and whether their perception of what is degrading is influenced by the circumstance or the people involved in a non-pornography setting. To examine this, 496 individuals (247 females, 249 males) were asked to indicate their perceptions of various sexual behaviors when engaged in by males and females toward male and female partners. Results suggest that while some particular sexual behaviors are broadly viewed as degrading (e.g., watersports), perceptions of degradation for other behaviors seem to be influenced by who is doing what to whom. In this sense, the perception of degradation exists in the eye of beholder and is often not defined by the particular sexual act. Future studies of degradation should take into account the context as well as the players involved.

The Relationship Between Face-Based First Impressions and Perceptions of Purity and Compared to Other Moral Violations

A trait labelled as "morality" has been argued to be perceived and prioritised during first impressions of faces; however, immorality is not a homogenous concept. Violations of purity are frequently distinguished from other violations via distinct behavioural and emotional patterns, arguably stemming from physical disgust, sexual content, or "weirdness" impure scenarios. In the current research, participants were asked to rate unfamiliar faces based on social traits and their likelihood of engaging in immoral or nonmoral behaviours. Across two studies, perceived engagement in most autonomy and purity moral violations but also the non-moral sexual and "weird" acts was predicted by lower facial morality. There was also a distinction wherein most purity violations and physical disgust were more associated with male gender, and most autonomy violations with ratings of high dominance. The scenarios also differed within categories, such as sexually impure scenarios and disgust associated with unattractive faces; while behaving "weirdly" and certain other purity violations were associated with low dominance. Taken together, our results suggest faces seemingly low on the trait labelled "morality" are perceived as more likely to engage in most immoral behaviours, but also in other socially relevant, nonmoral behaviours. Social judgements are also not homogenous within or between theory-based categories of moral violations.

Higher Sexual Avoidance, not Higher Pathogen Disgust, Is Associated with Lower Arousal in Women with a History of Unwanted Sex

Prior research consistently shows disgust propensity and/or state disgust correlated with lower sexual arousal; however, this work has largely excluded women with sexual trauma histories. We tested competing models of the effects of disgust on sexual arousal in women with sexual trauma histories: heightened avoidance of sexual stimuli vs. heightened affective antagonism between pathogen disgust and sexual arousal. Seventy-seven women (45 with an unwanted sexual contact history, 32 without) completed an online survey, avoidance task, and sexual arousal task following a pathogen disgust or neutral prime. We conducted preregistered and exploratory analyses of women's self-reported arousal and behavioral avoidance of the sexual aspects of stimuli. Women who reported more unwanted sexual contact had lower subjective sexual arousal in response to sexual stimuli, particularly following a disgust prime. There was evidence of an interaction such that unwanted sexual contact history amplified the effects of disgust propensity, contributing to greater avoidance of sexual stimuli. Women with a history of forced sex had significantly higher behavioral avoidance of sexual stimuli, even when accounting for exposure to other types of unwanted sexual contact and history of pathogen exposure. Cumulative type and frequency of sexual assault may influence women's sexual disgust, avoidance, and arousal. Lifetime history of pathogen exposure may not predict sexual disgust. Clinically, our results suggest that sexual avoidance may be a beneficial target of intervention when addressing sexual arousal concerns of survivors of unwanted sex, above and beyond reduction of sexual disgust responses.

Disgust as a basic, sexual, and moral emotion

Disgust is a basic emotion that increases the organism's survival success by preventing the transfer of pathogens. In this regard, it directs cognitive processes and motivates avoidance behaviors that prevent pathogens from entering the body. Moreover, disgust has many specific characteristics that distinguish it from other basic emotions. Firstly, unlike other basic emotions, it contaminates neutral objects around it and causes difficult-to-change learning. Another specific characteristic of disgust is that it depends on ideational processes. Objects, situations, and behaviors that do not contain pathogens can also cause disgust. In this regard, disgust appears not only as a basic emotion but also as different adaptations in different fields. In this context, two distinct adaptations of disgust stand out: sexual and moral disgust. These two adaptations of disgust benefit from disgust-related behaviors and motivations in different ways. Sexual disgust works as a gene protection mechanism, while moral disgust helps maintain social rules. The specific characteristics of disgust and its effects on cognitive processes such as attention and memory interact. In conclusion, the multifaceted structure of disgust shows that it needs to be studied more in the subfields of psychology. (Strohminger, Philos Compass 9:478-493, 2014) defines disgust as a psychological nebula that needs to be discovered. However, it is observed that disgust has not been adequately addressed. This review aims to comprehensively explore unique characteristics and diverse aspects of disgust, shedding light on its significance from various perspectives. This study underscores the broader understanding of disgust and its pivotal role in psychological research.

"Death and Love Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic": Effects of Pathogen Threats on Online Dating and Social Distancing From Life-History Strategy Perspectives

Drawing from the terror management theory (TMT) and evolutionary perspectives of Life-History Strategy, a between-subject online experiment examined the interaction effects of pre-existing death anxiety, fear-inducing media content (coronavirus threat vs. gun violence threat vs. low threat mental disorder), and intrasexual competition for mates on online dating intentions and social distancing intentions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results indicate the interaction effects of participants' pre-experimental death anxiety and different types of fear-inducing media content on perceived fear and intention to use online dating websites/apps as well as the interaction effects of pre-experimental intrasexual competitiveness and fear-inducing media content on social distancing intention in the context of online dating. Theoretical contributions to the terror management literature and practical implications for the online dating industry are discussed.

Pornography's Ubiquitous External Ejaculation: Predictors of Perceptions

One of the most contentious topics in the sexual arena is that of pornography. While some researchers focus on the costs and benefits of consumption, others focus on questions surrounding the objectification or degradation of women, with relatively little focus on the men involved, and the appeal of visual sexual stimuli more generally, including what that may tell us about the sexual interests of the consumers. In this study, we focus on what factors influence men's and women's perceptions of sexually explicit images, in particular the ubiquitous external ejaculation. Sex differences in perceptions of the images are examined as well as the influence of the emotional affect of the recipient of the ejaculation, the sexual orientation of the participant (are they looking at an image of their preferred sex or not), and a number of individual difference factors, including religiosity, Dark Triad personality traits, mate value, short-term mating strategy, and disgust sensitivity. Overall, the largest influences on perceptions were the direct effects of target emotional affect and sex, sex of viewer, sexual orientation of viewer, short-term mating orientation, and level of sexual disgust. In addition, substantial variation in perceptions was explained by the interaction between sex, sexual orientation, and target sex. The importance of positive affect in the images as well as the lack of association with psychopathy again suggests that the appeal (or at least the ubiquity of the images in pornographic material) is not rooted in degradation, but in some other aspect of short-term sexual psychology.

Explicitness, disgust, and safe sex behavior: A message experiment with U.S. adults

Sexual health risks are challenging to communicate given the potential negative reactions of target audiences to explicit language. Grounded in research on pathogen avoidance, the current study examined the impact of varying levels of explicit language on message perceptions and safe sex behavioral intentions. U.S. adults (N = 498) were randomly assigned to view messages detailing pandemic safe sexual behavior that contained either low or high levels of explicit language. High explicit language significantly increased perceived disgust which also indirectly linked high explicit language with increased intentions to engage in safe sex behavior. Individual difference variables moderated the impact of message explicitness; dispositional hygiene disgust moderated the impact of high explicit, hygiene-focused messages on safe sex intentions. Those with relatively low levels of dispositional disgust were more positively impacted by explicit language. The results suggest the value of increased message explicitness for sexual health communication and have implications for pathogen avoidance behaviors, the behavioral immune system, and dispositional and affective forms of disgust.

Toward a more domain-specific conceptualization of female traits: A commentary on Benenson et al. (2022)

Benenson et al. (2022) amass impressive evidence of robust sex differences as support for expanding "staying alive" theory. We argue for a broader and more domain-specific conceptualization focusing on life history tradeoffs between survival and mating success. Using three examples - women's disgust, fear of rape, and cultivation of bodyguards - we illustrate these tradeoffs and suggest a broader theoretical framework.

Framing and understanding the whole aspect of oral sex from social and health perspectives: a narrative review

Historically, oral sex is part of human sexual behaviour even though some consider it taboo, and its expression is deemed inappropriate. Human rights also stand out as technology becomes more sophisticated, leading to its practice disclosure in the 21st century. The large-scale oral sex discussion in media encourages people to express it, and there is feedback on whether it is right or not. It all depends on each person’s values. We found this sexual behaviour occurs everywhere regardless of religion, culture and race. Pop culture influences this behaviour considerably. It can be seen in music, movies and television programmes that allude to oral sex. Numerous motivations underlying this behaviour include sexual pleasure for the sake of psychological well-being. It is undeniable that this behaviour is still controversial. There is a risk of it causing disease, but it reportedly provides many benefits. Oral sex is not a new behaviour crossing boundaries, according to our theory. It is an old behaviour that has been highlighted because of the factors that support it. This behaviour, still considered taboo, has its disadvantages, such as sexually transmitted disease and oral cancer, but also has benefits, such as preventing preeclampsia.

Disgust and Self-Disgust in Eating Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Disgust and self-disgust are aversive emotions which are often encountered in people with eating disorders. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of disgust and self-disgust in people with eating disorders using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The systematic review of the literature revealed 52 original research papers. There was substantial heterogeneity regarding the research question and outcomes. However, we found 5 articles on disgust elicited by food images, 10 studies on generic disgust sensitivity, and 4 studies on self-disgust, and we proceeded to a meta-analytic approach on these studies. We found that women with eating disorders have significantly higher momentary disgust feelings in response to food images (1.32; 95% CI 1.05, 1.59), higher generic disgust sensitivity (0.49; 95% CI 0.24, 0.71), and higher self-disgust (1.90; 95% CI 1.51, 2.29) compared with healthy controls. These findings indicate the potential clinical relevance of disgust and self-disgust in the treatment of eating disorders.

"It Was Scary, But Then It Was Kind of Exciting": Young Women's Experiences with Choking During Sex

Choking/strangulation during sex is prevalent among young adults, with one study finding that 58% of women college students had ever been choked during sex. However, no qualitative study has examined women's experiences with choking/strangulation during sex outside of intimate partner violence. The purpose of our qualitative interview study was to investigate women's experiences with choking and/or being choked during partnered sex. Through in-depth interviews with 24 undergraduate and graduate women students ages 18 to 33, we sought to understand how women communicate about choking, their learning about and initiation into choking, their feelings about being choked and choking others, as well as consent and safety practices used in relation to choking. We found that women had first learned about choking through diverse sources including pornography, erotic stories, magazines, social media, friends, and partners. While all 24 women had been choked during sex, only 13 of 24 had ever choked a partner. They described having engaged in choking with men as well as women and with committed as well as more casual partner types. Participants described consensual and non-consensual choking experiences. While many women enjoyed choking, others did it largely to please their sexual partner. Women described different methods and intensities of having been choked. Although very few had ever sought out information on safety practices or risk reduction, and only some had established safe words or safe gestures with partners, participants consistently expressed a belief that the ways in which they and their partner(s) engaged in choking were safe.

"We Do Exist": The Experiences of Women Living with a Sexual Interest in Minors

The current body of the literature studying minor-attracted persons (MAPs) predominantly focuses on the experiences of men who experience sexual attractions to children. To shed more light on the experiences of women within this population, we conducted anonymous semi-structured interviews with six self-identified female MAPs, who were recruited through online support forums for individuals with sexual attractions to children. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to analyze the interview transcripts. Two superordinate themes were identified from the dataset that highlighted the uniqueness of the experience of being a woman within the MAP community ("A minority within a minority") and themes of social isolation and the effects of this on identity ("A lonely secret existence"). The findings reported here highlight how the experiences of female MAPs both converge with and diverge from their male counterparts in important ways. We discuss the implications of these experiences in relation to more effective service provision for women who are sexually attracted to children.

Prevalence and characteristics of choking/strangulation during sex: Findings from a probability survey of undergraduate students

In a random sample of undergraduate students, we aimed to: (1) establish the prevalence of choking and being choked; (2) examine demographic and situational predictors of being choked, and (3) examine demographic and situational predictors of choking someone. Participants: 4168 randomly sampled undergraduates at a large public U.S. university. Methods: A cross-sectional, confidential online survey. Results: We found that 26.5% of women, 6.6% of men, and 22.3% of transgender and gender non-binary participants reported having been choked during their most recent sexual event. Additionally, 5.7% of women, 24.8% of men, and 25.9% of transgender and non-binary participants reported that they choked their partner at their most recent event. Choking was more prevalent among sexual minority students. Conclusions: Choking is prevalent among undergraduate students; implications for college sexual health education are discussed.

The relation between disgust sensitivity and risk-taking propensity: A domain specific approach

Disgust is a cross-culturally recognized emotion that is characterized by avoidant or cautious tendencies. Accordingly, greater sensitivity to disgust may be related to less willingness to take risks. Relatively little research has examined the association between disgust sensitivity and risk-taking propensity. Further, no research to date has taken a domain specific approach to understanding the association between these constructs. Across two studies (N1=98, N2=390) and a mini-meta analysis utilizing two additional datasets (total N=1981), we assessed the extent to which domain specific disgust sensitivity (i.e., Pathogen, Sexual, and Moral) were related to domain specific risk-taking propensity (i.e., Social, Recreational, Health/Safety, Ethical, and Financial). We conducted two cross-sectional studies, with a community and a student sample. Participants completed surveys that included measures of disgust sensitivity and risk-taking propensity. Bivariate correlations across the two studies indicated that greater disgust sensitivity was related to lower risk-taking propensity across almost all domains. However, when controlling for covariance among the disgust sensitivity domains, regression analyses suggested variability in the association between disgust sensitivity and risk-taking propensity depending on domains. Based on mini meta-analysis, sexual disgust sensitivity had the strongest relationships with social risk-taking propensity and health/safety risk-taking propensity, and moral disgust sensitivity had the strongest relationship with ethical risk-taking propensity. These findings suggest the presence of domain specific relations between disgust sensitivity and risk-taking propensity. The domain specific focus may help in utilizing disgust as a factor to decrease certain risky behaviors (e.g., moral disgust for decreasing plagiarism).

Mate Availability and Sexual Disgust

Objective

One of the factors that sexual disgust should be calibrated to is the size of the mating pool. This study tested this hypothesis by examining whether perceptions of mate availability explain variance in levels of sexual disgust towards potential mates.

Methods

Participants (N = 853; 373 women) rated how sexually disgusting they found 60 potential mates that have previously been rated on attractiveness by a separate group of raters. We also measured participants’ perceptions of mate availability in their local environment, self-perceived attractiveness and mate value, and relevant control variables.

Results

Multilevel models revealed a negative association between sexual disgust towards potential mates and perceived mate availability—the opposite of what we predicted. We found support for our prediction that women had higher levels of sexual disgust than men, but only after addressing the confounding sex difference in target attractiveness. We also found the predicted negative association between target attractiveness and sexual disgust. Finally, as predicted, sexual disgust levels were more strongly related to potential mates’ attractiveness in individuals who perceived there to be many available mates in their local environment.

Conclusions

These findings generally bolster functional accounts of sexual disgust while highlighting the need for more evidence to ascertain the role of mate availability in the calibration of sexual disgust. Specifically, future research should examine the extent to which disgust levels may truncate mental representations of the mating pool instead of being calibrated by them.