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Social Justice Research

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01-12-2014

Incidental Disgust Increases Adherence to Left-Wing Economic Attitudes

Authors: Dragos C. Petrescu, Brian Parkinson

Published in: Social Justice Research | Issue 4/2014

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Abstract

Previous research has suggested that disgust is associated with conservative political attitudes (Cognit Emot, 23:714–725 by Inbar et al. 2009). The present research evaluated whether disgust can also lead to more liberal attitudes, due to its relation to fairness-related violations. Across three studies, we demonstrated that inducing feelings of disgust lead participants to adopt more left-wing political attitudes with regard to economic issues. In Study 1, participants induced to experience disgust by looking at four photographs reported more left-wing economic attitudes than participants who were exposed to sadness-inducing images. In Study 2, the same effect was observed but only for participants who had greater sensitivity to their bodily sensations. Study 3 replicated Studies 1–2 and also showed that besides economic attitudes, participants’ general political orientation was also shifted toward the liberal spectrum by a disgust induction. Taken together, these results provide evidence for a relationship between feelings of disgust and the endorsement of equality-promoting political attitudes. Our results, therefore, provide a different perspectives on disgust and the first evidence that it can also lead people to adopt more liberal attitudes on economic issues.

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The IAPS numbers for the pictures used in the disgust condition were: 9301 (toilet), 9302 (toilet), 9322 (vomit), and 9325 (vomit). For the sadness condition the following pictures were used: 2205 (hospital), 2276 (crying girl), 6838 (police), and 9184 (injured dog).

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Title: Incidental Disgust Increases Adherence to Left-Wing Economic Attitudes
Authors: Dragos C. Petrescu
Brian Parkinson
Publication date: 01-12-2014
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Social Justice Research / Issue 4/2014
Print ISSN: 0885-7466
Electronic ISSN: 1573-6725
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11211-014-0221-7

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