Bidirectional interplay of disgust and morality: Meta-analytic investigations

Abstract

Two separate meta-analyses were conducted to test the hypotheses that moral transgressions elicit disgust and that inducing disgust may intensify moral judgments. The data supported both the elicitation hypothesis (k = 78; g = 0.55) and the amplification hypothesis (k = 101; g = 0.40). When examining the moderating effects of person- and measurement-related characteristics, a stronger link between morality and disgust was found in Western and Caucasian cultures compared to Asian and Eastern cultures. Trait disgust sensitivity, as opposed to state disgust sensitivity, had a more pronounced impact on moral attitudes. Disgust was most strongly associated with violations of purity and deontological morality, particularly in relation to sex- and religion-related issues. Larger effects were also observed when the direction of disgust aligned with the orientation of moral judgment. Keeping in mind the limitation of substantial heterogeneity, these findings underscore the importance of methodological approaches, sample characteristics, and individual differences in studying the bidirectional relationship between disgust and morality.