Theinjusticesthey can leaveliterally a“bad mouth taste”. According to a new study from the University of Toronto (Canada), behavior considered unfair or immoral and the ingestion of an unpleasant-tasting drink cause the samephysical response of disgust.
The scientists, led by Hanah Chapman, examined the study participants’ facial movements when they tasted unpleasant liquids and looked at photographs of disgusting objects such as dirty toilets or injuries. They also compared these facial gestures with those they produced when they were subjected to unfair treatment in a laboratory game. And helped by theelectromyography, a technique that uses tiny electrodes to detect activation of facial muscles, concluded thatinstinctual response is common in primitive forms of revulsion and moral distaste. The visible gesture is well known: when something disgusts us, our upper lip rises and we wrinkle our nose, at the same time we close our eyes.
“People really feel disgusted in response to moral offenses.moral disgustit is more than a metaphor, “explains Chapman. Although morality is considered one of the milestones in the evolution and development of modern man, researchers argue that its physical and emotional expression mechanisms are a tool already used by human beings. more primitive humans as a basic survival response to much simpler stimuli.
“Surprisingly, the sophisticated moral sense of right and wrong could develop from an innate preference of babies for what tastes good and bad, what is potentially nutritious or poisonous,” concludes Adam Anderson, co-author of the study that publishes today the magazine
Injustices can literally leave a “bad taste in your mouth.” According to a new study from the University of Toronto (Canada), behavior considered unfair or immoral and the consumption of an unpleasant-tasting drink cause the same physical response of disgust.
The scientists, led by Hanah Chapman, examined the study participants’ facial movements when they tasted unpleasant liquids and looked at photographs of disgusting objects such as dirty toilets or injuries. They also compared these facial movements with those they produced when they were subjected to unfair treatment in a laboratory game. And aided by electromyography, a technique that uses tiny electrodes to detect activation of facial muscles, they concluded that the instinctual response is common in primitive forms of revulsion and those of moral disgust. The visible gesture is well known: when something disgusts us, our upper lip rises and we wrinkle our nose, at the same time we close our eyes.
“People really feel disgusted in response to moral offenses. Moral disgust is more than a metaphor,” explains Chapman. Despite the fact that morality is considered one of the milestones in the evolution and development of modern man, researchers argue that its physical and emotional expression mechanisms are a tool already used by the most primitive humans as a basic survival response to much simpler stimuli.
“Surprisingly, the sophisticated moral sense of right and wrong could develop from an innate preference of babies for what tastes good and bad, what is potentially nutritious or poisonous,” concludes Adam Anderson, co-author of the study that publishes today the magazineScience.”>Science.
