PsyberSpace: Understand Your World

The Shadows Within: How Disgust and Shame Break Society
Intro: Welcome back to PsyberSpace, where we dive deep into the psychological forces that shape our world. I'm your host, Leslie Poston, and today we're exploring something that affects every single one of us, whether we realize it or not - the powerful emotions of disgust and shame. These aren't just fleeting feelings; they're architects of our social world, sculptors of our identities, and sometimes, invisible chains that bind us to harmful patterns we can't even see.
[Segment 1: Introduction to Disgust and Shame]
Let's start with something that might surprise you: disgust and shame aren't just modern inconveniences - they're ancient survival tools that have, in many ways, outlived their usefulness. Think about it like this: imagine you're one of our early ancestors, and you come across some rotting meat. That instinctive recoil, that visceral "no" - that's disgust doing exactly what it evolved to do.
We’ve moved past a need for constant survival mode, but we still carry those instinctive reactions within us. Modern day neuroimaging studies revealed something interesting: when we experience disgust, it activates the same neural pathways whether we're looking at spoiled food or experiencing moral outrage. The anterior insula, a region associated with processing negative emotions, lights up consistently across both physical and moral disgust responses. This biological connection between physical and moral disgust has profound implications for how we navigate our social world.
Research from the fields of sociology and psychology take this understanding further, showing how our disgust response has been co-opted by cultural forces to regulate moral behavior. One study demonstrated how moral judgments often stem from rapid, emotion-based intuitions rather than careful moral reasoning. The disgust response, originally evolved to protect us from physical contaminants, now serves as a powerful enforcer of social norms and moral boundaries. But who dictates those norms and boundaries?
That is an important question to answer when we consider how disgust and shame play out in contemporary society. When we feel moral disgust, our bodies literally respond as if we're encountering physical contamination. Our heart rate changes, our skin conductance increases, and we might even experience nausea. These physiological responses then reinforce our moral judgments, creating a feedback loop between our bodies and our beliefs.
And shame? That's an even more complex story. Tangney's extensive research shows that shame operates like a social immune system - but a faulty one that often attacks healthy tissue. Unlike guilt, which focuses on specific actions and can motivate positive change, shame attacks our core sense of self. Her studies reveal that shame-prone individuals are more likely to experience anger, depression, and anxiety, and less likely to show empathy or take responsibility for their actions.
The modern media landscape has transformed how these emotions operate in our society. Social media platforms can amplify shame and disgust responses to unprecedented levels, creating what researchers call "moral outrage cascades." A single shameful incident can now be witnessed by millions, turning private moments of shame into public spectacles that can haunt individuals for years.
But perhaps most importantly, we need to understand how these emotions shape our political and social landscape. When we feel disgust toward certain ideas or groups, we're not just experiencing a simple emotion - we're engaging in a complex psychological process that can lead to dehumanization and discrimination. Research has shown that exposure to disgusting stimuli can actually increase political conservatism and harsh moral judgments, highlighting how these basic emotions can shape our broader worldview.
[Segment 2: Authoritarian and Cult Beliefs]
The weaponization of disgust and shame in authoritarian systems reveals some of the darkest applications of these emotions. Fritzon's research demonstrates how authoritarian systems systematically exploit psychological vulnerabilities to maintain control. Her studies show that authoritarian leaders consistently use language and imagery designed to specifically trigger disgust responses, particularly when describing out-groups or dissenting voices.
This exploitation operates on multiple levels. Nussbaum's extensive work on emotions in political life shows how authoritarian regimes create what researchers term "hierarchies of disgust" - systematic patterns where certain groups are consistently associated with contamination and impurity. These associations aren't random; they're carefully constructed to align with existing prejudices and fears.
If you are in the United States, you likely have seen this playing out in real time in the othering language used in the broadcast of authoritarian events such as the recent CPAC, where immigrants and other groups were othered with lies using language calling these groups unclean or demonic.
The psychological impact of living under such systems is profound and multigenerational. Studies of families who lived under authoritarian regimes, such as those conducted in post-Soviet states, show that the effects of systematic shame and disgust manipulation can persist across generations. Children often inherit not just the trauma, but the specific emotional patterns their parents developed under authoritarian rule.
What's particularly concerning is how modern technology amplifies these dynamics. Social media algorithms can create what researchers call "disgust echo chambers," where negative emotions are amplified and reinforced through constant exposure to carefully curated content. This digital manipulation of disgust and shame represents a new frontier in authoritarian control.
But perhaps most insidious is how these systems turn victims into perpetrators. Research on cult dynamics shows that once individuals internalize the shame and disgust responses of the system, they often become its most ardent enforcers. This creates self-sustaining cycles of emotional manipulation that can persist even after the original authority figures are gone.
[Segment 3: Impact on Self-Perception]
Meadows' research on body image and shame reveals the profound impact these emotions have on our relationship with ourselves. For example, her studies show that exposure to weight stigma doesn't just affect how people feel about their bodies - it fundamentally alters their relationship with food, exercise, and social interaction. The diet industry, as she demonstrates, capitalizes on these dynamics, creating cycles of shame and promised redemption that serve their economic interests while often harming individual well-being.
The neurological impact of chronic shame exposure is particularly concerning. Studies using fMRI technology have shown that experiencing body shame activates the same brain regions involved in physical pain processing. This suggests that the experience of shame isn't just emotionally uncomfortable - it's neurologically similar to physical injury.
Diedrichs' research on media influence adds another crucial layer to our understanding. Her work shows how exposure to idealized body images doesn't just create temporary dissatisfaction - it fundamentally alters how people process information about their own bodies. People exposed to these images show increased activation in brain regions associated with self-criticism and decreased activity in areas linked to self-compassion.
The intersection of technology and body shame presents new challenges. Social media platforms, with their filters and editing capabilities, have created what researchers term "digital body dysmorphia," where individuals become increasingly unable to accept their unedited appearance. This technological amplification of shame represents a new frontier in self-perception research.
[Segment 4: Role in Racism]
Racism plays an outsized role in societal harm. Fiske’s extensive research on prejudice and discrimination reveals how disgust operates as a core mechanism in racist attitudes and behaviors. Her studies demonstrate that when people show racist disgust responses, they activate neural pathways originally evolved for pathogen avoidance. This biological hijacking helps explain the persistence and intensity of racist attitudes.
What's particularly revealing is how these disgust responses manifest in policy preferences. Pizarro's research shows that individuals with higher disgust sensitivity are more likely to support restrictive immigration policies, fall for deceptive language that obfuscates where detainees are actually being held or how poorly they are being treated, and oppose morally neutral activities such as interracial relationships. This isn't just about personal prejudice - it's about how basic emotional responses shape political and social structures.
The role of media in reinforcing these responses cannot be overstated. Content analysis studies have shown systematic patterns in how different racial groups are portrayed in news media, with certain groups consistently associated with themes that trigger disgust responses. This creates what researchers term "mediated contamination" - where media exposure reinforces and amplifies existing racist disgust responses.
Recent studies using implicit bias testing have revealed how deeply these associations run. Even individuals who consciously reject racist beliefs often show unconscious disgust responses to racial out-groups. This highlights the challenge of addressing racism at both conscious and unconscious levels. Harvard created an Implicit Association Test you can take for free to uncover whether you hold biases or prejudicial beliefs you weren’t aware of - I’ll put a link to it in the show notes.
Historical analysis reveals how disgust has been systematically employed in racist systems. From segregation policies framed in terms of contamination to contemporary xenophobic rhetoric, disgust continues to serve as a powerful tool for maintaining racial hierarchies.
[Segment 5: Role in Sexism]
The intersection of disgust and sexism reveals particularly troubling patterns in how society views and treats women. Becker's research demonstrates how disgust responses are systematically employed to reinforce gender hierarchies. Her studies show that women who are seen as deviating from traditional gender norms often trigger disgust responses in others, particularly in cultures with strong patriarchal traditions.
What's especially concerning is how disgust influences male treatment of women. Research has shown that men who score higher on disgust sensitivity measures often display more hostile sexist attitudes. This manifests in various ways: from viewing menstruation as contaminating (a view documented across numerous cultures by anthropologist Thomas Buckley), to expressing revulsion at women's bodily functions while normalizing male ones, to using disgust-based language to describe women in positions of power.
Nussbaum's work on the role of disgust in law and society highlights how men have historically used disgust-based arguments to justify women's exclusion from public spaces and positions of authority. The persistent association of women with bodily functions and "impurity" has served as a powerful tool for maintaining gender hierarchies. This isn't just about individual attitudes - it's about systemic patterns of exclusion justified through the language and emotion of disgust. We can see another modern example of this rising now in the US with the language being used to shutter DEIA programs and to eliminate women from positions of leadership and research.
More recent research reveals how shame compounds these effects. Women often internalize these disgust-based judgments, creating what psychologists term "internalized misogyny." This can lead to a cycle where women police both themselves and other women, unconsciously reinforcing the very systems that oppress them.
In professional settings, Heilman's research shows how disgust reactions to women in leadership positions often manifest as concerns about their "unnaturalness" or perceived violation of gender norms. Women leaders face what researchers call the "contamination effect," where their presence in traditionally male spaces is viewed as somehow polluting or diminishing the status of those positions.
[Segment 6: Influence in Religion]
The relationship between religion, disgust, and shame reveals complex patterns of social control and moral development. Several anthropological studies demonstrate how religious communities historically used these emotions to maintain group cohesion and enforce moral boundaries. This research shows that religious groups with stronger emotional enforcement mechanisms often show higher levels of member retention, though often at significant psychological cost.
Burgo's work on shame in religious contexts reveals particularly troubling patterns. His studies show how religious shame often creates what psychologists term "toxic perfectionism" - an impossible standard of moral purity that leads to chronic shame and self-doubt. This dynamic is particularly evident in how many religious traditions handle sexuality and gender expression.
The role of disgust in religious practice extends beyond moral regulation. Anthropological studies have shown how religious dietary laws and purity rituals often serve to create distinct group identities through shared patterns of disgust. These practices create what researchers call "embodied boundaries" - physical expressions of moral and social distinctions.
Modern neuroscience has added fascinating insights to this understanding. Studies using fMRI technology have shown that religious individuals often process moral violations in brain regions associated with physical contamination, suggesting a deep connection between religious moral judgment and basic disgust responses.
[Segment 7: Conformity and Social Pressure]
Solomon Asch's foundational conformity experiments opened the door to understanding how social pressure shapes individual behavior. Modern research has built on this foundation, revealing the essential role of disgust and shame in maintaining social conformity. Studies show that the threat of social exclusion activates the same neural pathways as physical pain, highlighting the profound impact of social pressure on human behavior.
Curtis's research on the evolutionary basis of disgust helps explain why social nonconformity triggers such powerful responses. Her work shows how our disgust response, originally evolved to avoid physical contamination, has been co-opted by social systems to maintain group cohesion. This biological response helps explain why social rejection feels viscerally threatening.
The digital age has transformed how conformity pressure operates. Always-on digital platforms that have ended proper moderation in favor of manipulated algorithms, which is almost all of them, create what researchers term "visibility pressure," where the constant possibility of public shame acts as a powerful force for conformity. For example, studies of online behavior show that the fear of social media shaming can even lead to self-censorship and a reduced willingness to express divergent views in a constructive way.
[Segment 8: Defeating Disgust in Thought Processes]
Recent research on moral judgment and disgust provides vital insights into how we can overcome harmful disgust responses. This research shows that awareness of how disgust influences moral judgment can help people make more rational, considered decisions. This suggests that education about these mechanisms could be a powerful tool for combating prejudice.
Mindfulness research has shown promising results in helping people manage disgust responses. Studies using EEG monitoring demonstrate that mindfulness practice can help create what neuroscientists term "response flexibility" - the ability to observe disgust responses without automatically acting on them.
Recent work in cognitive behavioral therapy has developed specific techniques for addressing maladaptive disgust responses. These approaches focus on gradually exposing individuals to trigger situations while building new cognitive frameworks for understanding their reactions. As always, a reminder that CBT doesn’t work for everyone! If you have autism or other neurological differences, you might want to try EMDR or somatic therapy for this instead.
[Segment 9: Helping Others Move Past Disgust]
Harper's research on social advocacy provides solid insights into how communities can effectively challenge disgust-based prejudices. His studies show that personal contact and shared experiences can effectively reduce disgust responses toward marginalized groups, particularly when these interactions occur in structured, supportive environments.
We saw this play out in masking - when masks were mandated, othering of mask wearers, the immunocompromised, and the disabled was muted. People were largely able to manage their disgust response when seeing a mask and the threat it represented because they were in community. Once mandates lifted, feelings of disgust toward those people who must continue to mask increased. As mask wearing fell out of favor, disease increased - ironically, the thing that everyone’s feeling of disgust was actually trying to warn against - a contagious virus - was able to spread further because people were not able to manage their disgust responses by staying in community against a common foe - disease.
The role of education in combating disgust-based prejudices cannot be overstated. Studies of anti-bias training programs show that understanding the psychological mechanisms behind disgust responses can help people recognize and resist their own prejudices. This knowledge-based approach, combined with exposure therapy principles, shows promising results in reducing discriminatory behaviors.
Digital platforms present both challenges and opportunities in this work. While social media can amplify disgust responses, it can also provide platforms for marginalized voices to share their experiences and challenge prejudicial attitudes. Research on online advocacy shows that personal storytelling can be particularly effective in reducing disgust-based prejudices.
Conclusion: As we wrap up today's deep dive into the psychology of disgust and shame, remember that understanding these mechanisms isn't just an academic exercise - it's a vital step toward creating a more equitable and compassionate society.
Thanks for listening to this week’s episode of PsyberSpace. Until next time, this is your host Leslie Poston, signing off. Remember to question, care, and keep exploring the fascinating landscape of human psychology. Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode, and until next time - stay curious!