Disgust Tolerance Test
How would you feel about using a public restroom toilet?
Imagine finding mold growing on a piece of fruit like a strawberry.
A friend offers you their bath towel, but you notice it's still damp from their last use.
What's your reaction to having blood drawn for medical purposes?
How do you react when you accidentally step on an insect with bare feet?
How would you feel about touching a deceased person's body?
Someone just sneezed into their elbow, then offers you a handshake.
You discover a cockroach has crawled across a slice of pizza you're about to eat.
Watching a medical TV show that displays graphic injuries or corpses.
Hearing someone clear their throat when it sounds phlegmy or mucous-filled.
Coming across a dead animal lying by the roadside.
How comfortable would you be sleeping in a bed where someone previously passed away?
Walking by someone who has visible sores or open wounds on their body.
What's your immediate reaction when you spot a rat?
Observing someone at a restaurant eating finger foods in a particularly messy way.
15 questions remaining
Things to Know
- Disgust is one of the most basic human emotions. It is the same in all cultures and is shown by a wrinkled nose, a raised upper lip, and a head that turns away.
- Disgust sensitivity correlates with various characteristics, including individual levels of anxiety and authoritarianism. Studies indicate that women generally exhibit reduced sensitivity to disgust compared to men.
- Disgust is a product of human evolution. It probably helped us stay alive by keeping us away from germs by telling us when food was bad and what smells to avoid.
- Disgust serves as a behavioral or emotional immune system that protects you from pathogens.
- Seeing disgusting things over and over again can change how much you can handle them. Doctors, morticians, and parents of young children often become more tolerant.
What to Do
- Be understanding: Just because something doesn't bother you doesn't mean it doesn't bother other people. Keep in mind that when someone complains about something disgusting, they might not be overreacting; they just have a different level of disgust.
- Know yourself: People who aren't very disgusted by things are usually less afraid of death and more likely to seek out thrills. Think about that before you do something dangerous.
- Explore the world around you.: You can learn more about the world you live in by going to places that most people would find disgusting, like bugs or dirt, or abandoned city streets.
