Prof: Why Halloween gore, yuck factor so appealing
October 28, 2014
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Disgusted by Halloween life-like body part food creations? Do you find violence depicted in haunted houses too gory, yet you can't seem to look away? A Purdue University expert says the emotion of disgust is what helps keep humans alive, but there can be a thrill to having fun with it as well.
"Disgust is an aversive emotion, and genuine disgust at something can induce nausea and certainly avoidance," says Daniel R. Kelly, an associate professor of philosophy who specializes in cognitive science. "Playing with something that might simply disgust us in other circumstances can be pleasant when we know, with another part of our minds, that it's not really a threat. In those cases we get the emotional charge of the emotion on the cheap, and without any real risk."
Kelly is author of "Yuck! The Nature and Moral Significance of Disgust."
The emotion of disgust helps humans be healthy by inducing them to avoid rotten food, illness or trash, things that could make people sick, he says.
"We see from movies and products like Fear Factor year-round that it's not just Halloween that celebrates disgust, but this holiday involves a celebration of those types of thrills," Kelly says.
Kelly also studies how disgust is often an emotional component in attitudes that can lead to oppressing and dehumanizing minority groups, and can also influence moral judgments.
Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu
Source: Daniel R. Kelly, drkelly@purdue.edu
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