Class Notes: Disgust and Other Emotions

Emotions and Morality

We have seen several ways in which moral reasoning is driven by the emotions
Which emotions are most clearly connected to moral reasoning?
Which emotions might be independent of moral issues?
Can the same emotional response be elicited by both moral scenarios and other scenarios?

Morality and Disgust

Several lines of research suggest that the emotion of disgust is closely connected to moral judgments about others
E.g., Wheatley & Haidt: Inducing feelings of disgust leads subjects to conclude that otherwise innocuous behavior is morally wrong

Genes and Culture

Tribal instincts: Partly innate mechanisms for facilitating social interactions
Morality is a key part of this mechanism, codified in a set of social norms
How can social norms evolve in spite of individual self-interest?

We have seen two theoretical mechanisms for explaining the evolution of pro-social behavior:
Kin recognition - a foundation for altruism
Reciprocity (tit-for-tat) – a foundation for cooperation
These may be responsible for some, but not all, aspects of moral norms
The tribal instincts hypothesis is a more inclusive approach

Gene-Culture Coevolution

Tribal instincts are based on gene-culture coevolution
Mutual interdependence in the evolution of genetic mechanisms and cultural processes
As the amount of cultural information increases there is pressure for more ability to process that information
Two outcomes: Social norms and ethnic boundaries

Ethnic Boundaries

A need to coordinate beliefs, values, and norms
It is advantageous to recognize other tribe members who are to be avoided
Disgust becomes an automatic response that promotes this behavior

Mechanisms of Disgust

Typical things to be avoided:
Body products (the “no reentry” policy)
“Creepy-crawlies”
Some foods and non-standard food preparation
Non-standard hygiene practices

Some triggers are universal, some are culture-specific
Two distinct universal threats to be avoided: toxins and parasites / infection
Different defensive reactions: expulsion and avoidance
In humans, these two mechanisms become entangled to produce “disgust”
Developmental stages support the theory of separate mechanisms

Disgust in Other Animals

Humans are johnnies-come-lately to the carnivore scene
Dogs and other carnivores have had time to acquire the “cast-iron stomach”- a disgust emotion is not necessary
Humans relied on adaptations of existing mechanisms, which are reinforced by the emotion of disgust
Need for communication of the threat would also encourage this

Disgust and Tribal Instincts

How and why did basic disgust become co-opted to serve the goals of tribal insticts?
The cooption process again: Evolution uses whatever comes readily to hand to develop new tools
There is sometimes a misfit between basic disgust and adopted social functions
Example: “Gape face”, based on retching response, now becomes a social symbol

Purity Norms

“Disgust” might sometimes be seen as a metaphor: “I am disgusted by the kind of clothes you wear!”
Is it really a metaphor?
The connection to the original triggers may be indirect, but it reflects the cop-option of the original emotion

“Purity”: Sanctity of the body -> Protection from contamination -> Protection from spiritual defilement
Neuroimaging studies indicate the biological connections
This becomes the basis for strong prejudice

Summary

Basic disgust: A “cobbling together” of two separate mechanisms
Poison and parasite mechanisms were co-opted to perform social functions unrelated to the original triggers
Disgust serves to reinforce social boundaries
An important further question:
How can we overcome the undesirable aspects of this co-option process?

Theories of Emotion

Consider Ekman’s six major emotions:

What are the original triggers? How might they have been co-opted?