How disgust drives your politics | Cindy Kam
TED Talks Daily
2025/04/01
How disgust drives your politics | Cindy Kam
How disgust drives your politics | Cindy Kam

TED Talks Daily
2025/04/01
This podcast delves into the complex emotion of disgust, exploring its influence on our daily choices and societal interactions. Through personal stories and psychological insights, political psychologist Cindy Kam examines how disgust shapes our perceptions and actions.
Disgust is a powerful emotion that starts with physiological responses and evolves to reinforce values, emerging early in childhood. It plays a significant role in decision-making, affecting both individual choices and societal norms. Conditioned taste aversion and sensitivity levels among individuals highlight its impact on policies and historical events. Disgust serves as a protective mechanism but can also lead to exclusionary behaviors. Despite being an avoidance emotion, it fosters connections and can be consciously managed. The discussion extends to quality control in candy factories, emphasizing safety and high standards.
00:00
00:00
Disgust reactions are automatic, but what we do with them isn't
03:23
03:23
Disgust is not innate but develops during potty training.
06:57
06:57
Conditioned taste aversion is an adaptive mechanism that makes us avoid things associated with illness.
10:52
10:52
Disgust sensitivity can lead to intolerance and support for exclusionary policies.
14:49
14:49
Disgust operates on imagination and can hold us back
19:27
19:27
Quality control workers need strict safety regulations.