Researchers have discovered that our disgusting memories are often linked to smells, tastes, and touches as a means of protecting us from disease. Psychologists from Macquarie University in Australia and Karolinska Universitet in Sweden have proposed that sensory cues trigger intense feelings of disgust to support our physiological immune system.
A study involving 216 university students was conducted, where participants completed two surveys a week apart. In the initial questionnaire, 127 students described their most memorable disgusting experiences. The subsequent survey asked 89 students to recount recent experiences from the past week and rate the contribution of each sense - smell, taste, touch, sight, or sound - to the effect.
