Like fear, disgust is required for survival. A species can cling to precious life based on their ability to find that piece of brown, rotting, smelling meat too wretched to eat.

There is actually a 25 year old man who had a stroke that destroyed the area of his brain where he once experienced disgust. While he recognized all other facial expressions(happy, fearful, angry, sad, and surprised) he was unable to detect disgust. This was not only for faces, he also did not recognize retching sounds or numbers recited in a disgusted manner.

Even disgusting ideas, such as friends who only change their underwear once a week did not insight a response in this man.

This study shows that the area of the brain used to interpret an emotion is the same as the emotion itself. It is an insight into how emotions tend to spread throughout a group.

It is interesting to think about the range of occupations such a man could bear without this section of his brain... Crime scene cleaner? Solid waste engineer? Prison guard? Call girl? Social worker? The opportunities are endless in the seemingly large disgusing segment of the world.

Dis*gust" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Disgusted; p. pr. & vb. n. Disgusting.] [OF. desgouster, F. d'egouter; pref. des- (L. dis-) + gouster to taste, F. gouter, fr. L. gustare, fr. gustus taste. See Gust to taste.]

To provoke disgust or strong distaste in; to cause (any one) loathing, as of the stomach; to excite aversion in; to offend the moral taste of; -- often with at, with, or by.

To disgust him with the world and its vanities. Prescott.

Aerius is expressly declared . . . to have been disgusted at failing. J. H. Newman.

Alarmed and disgusted by the proceedings of the convention. Macaulay.

 

© Webster 1913.


Dis*gust", n. [Cf. OF. desgoust, F. d'egout. See Disgust, v. t.]

Repugnance to what is offensive; aversion or displeasure produced by something loathsome; loathing; strong distaste; -- said primarily of the sickening opposition felt for anything which offends the physical organs of taste; now rather of the analogous repugnance excited by anything extremely unpleasant to the moral taste or higher sensibilities of our nature; as, an act of cruelty may excite disgust.

The manner of doing is more consequence than the thing done, and upon that depends the satisfaction or disgust wherewith it is received. Locke.

In a vulgar hack writer such oddities would have excited only disgust. Macaulay.

Syn. -- Nausea; loathing; aversion; distaste; dislike; disinclination; abomination. See Dislike.

 

© Webster 1913.

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