Abstract
IntroductionA high level of disgust propensity (the general tendency to respond with the emotion of disgust to any given situation) is associated with an increased sensitivity to bitter taste. The present study examined the relationship between disgust propensity and the sensitivity to bitter aftertaste.MethodsA total of 200 women rinsed their mouth with concentrated wormwood tea (Artemisia absinthium). The resulting aftertaste was evaluated (intensity of bitterness and disgust) every 15 s for 10 min. A multiple linear regression analysis was calculated to capture the association between aftertaste ratings and affective variables (e.g., disgust propensity, depression symptoms).ResultsHigher disgust propensity was associated with higher initial disgust ratings and faster reduction of disgust over time. Higher depression scores were associated with a slower disgust reduction.ConclusionWe demonstrated that affective variables predict the temporal course of the wormwood aftertaste response. Having a higher disgust propensity was associated with a shortened disgust recovery.ImplicationsA shortened disgust recovery may be adaptive because it enables faster processing of new disgust stimuli.
Highlights
A high level of disgust propensity is associated with an increased sensitivity to bitter taste
We investigated if the temporal aftertaste profile would be associated with the personality traits disgust propensity and disgust sensitivity
The post hoc t tests showed that participants with high disgust propensity gave higher disgust/bitter ratings compared with low scorers during interval 1 to interval 3, while during interval 4, the groups did not differ anymore (Table 3; Fig. 1)
Summary
A high level of disgust propensity (the general tendency to respond with the emotion of disgust to any given situation) is associated with an increased sensitivity to bitter taste. The present study examined the relationship between disgust propensity and the sensitivity to bitter aftertaste. A multiple linear regression analysis was calculated to capture the association between aftertaste ratings and affective variables (e.g., disgust propensity, depression symptoms). Results Higher disgust propensity was associated with higher initial disgust ratings and faster reduction of disgust over time. Higher depression scores were associated with a slower disgust reduction. Food rejection is connected to the distaste response (Rozin et al 2009). Distaste is a primitive rejection impulse triggered by unpleasant-tasting substances, many of which are toxic. Food toxicity is often indexed by a bitter taste. Not all bitter-tasting compounds are dangerous but can be perceived at low concentrations (Glendinning 1994). The ability to sense bitterness may serve other purposes in addition to poison detection
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