Human-to-Human Contagion of Moral Disgust Based on Physical Contact

Abstract

People often refuse to touch objects that were once in contact with an immoral person because they find the idea of residue transfer disgusting. Previous research has revealed that objects in contact with immoral persons are often rejected because of disgust contagion. However, it is unclear whether the importance of contact with a disgusting presence also applies when moral disgust contaminates people. Thus, this study examined whether moral disgust can spread to a person without direct physical contact with a moral transgressor. Participants evaluated their impressions of individuals either in contact with or separated spatially from a moral transgressor. The results indicate that negative evaluations were significant only for individuals who had direct contact with moral transgressors. This suggests that physical contact is essential for the transmission of moral disgust. Although further research is needed to confirm the human-to-human contagion system, this study offers a significant step toward understanding the mechanisms of moral disgust contagion.