Modulating disgust in mental contamination: Experimental evidence for the role of disgust

摘要

Background and objectives: Disgust has been associated with mental contamination (MC), although the evidence has hitherto been nonexperimental. Furthermore, strategies that can target both disgust and MC have not been well explored. We investigated the role of disgust in MC by inducing disgust via olfaction within the "dirty kiss" paradigm and conversely, to see if pairing pleasant olfactory stimulus during re-exposure, based on counter-conditioning, can reduce MC. We also examined whether disgust constructs (propensity and sensitivity) and trait MC are associated with state MC arising from the "dirty kiss".