People more prone to experience disgust see things differently. They even appear to have greater powers than the rest of us at detecting contamination. (click below to read more)
In one study, undergraduates were asked to make subtle distinctions between shades of light and dark gray. A questionnaire also measured the students' disgust sensitivity. Those with higher disgust sensitivity were better at perceiving differences at the light end of the spectrum, suggesting a greater ability to detect impurities.
The same paper describes another study in which students were shown images of cockroaches, garbage and other disgusting stuff, and then were asked to make subtle visual distinctions. This had no impact on the performance of participants who rated low on disgust sensitivity. But the images significantly improved the light-shade performance of those highly sensitive to disgusting stimuli.
"The Faintest Speck of Dirt: Disgust Enhances the Detection of Impurity," Gary D. Sherman, Jonathan Haidt and Gerald L. Clore, Psychological Science (online Nov. 5)
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