MODULATING DISGUST IN MENTAL CONTAMINATION: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY USING OLFACTORY STIMULI

Abstract

Background and objectives: Disgust has recently been associated with mental contamination, although hitherto the evidence have mostly been from nonexperimental studies. Furthermore, despite mounting evidence implicating disgust and mental contamination with various psychopathologies, behavioral strategies that can target both have not been well explored. This study aims to investigate the role of disgust in mental contamination by inducing disgust using olfactory stimulus and conversely, to see if the pairing of pleasant stimulus, based on the principle of counterconditioning, can modulate mental contamination. Method: Ninety female undergraduates were recruited. Mental contamination was evoked using the "dirty kiss" paradigm (time 1), in which participants were guided via audiotape to visualize receiving a non-consensual kiss from a man described as physically dirty. After a break, participants listened to the audiotape again in a room that was scented to smell either disgusting, pleasant or neutral (time 2). Results: Participants in the disgust condition reported increased feelings of dirtiness at time 2, suggestive of disgust-based emotional reasoning. Furthermore, trait disgust propensity predicted feelings of dirtiness at time 1. We did not find an effect of pairing pleasant olfactory stimuli in reducing mental contamination or disgust. Conclusion: We found evidence that disgust exacerbates mental contamination, possibly through emotional reasoning. Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed.