Types of Disgust Sensitivity are Differently Associated with Sexual Strategies, Mate Preference, and Perceived Sexual Norms

The types of disgust guide individuals to seek healthier mates and avoid risky sexual behaviors. However, research integrating the relationships between the types of disgust and mating is still lacking. Through the three studies either measuring types of disgust together (study 1, N-1 = 335, China) or separately (study 2, N-2 = 233, China; study 3, N-3 = 267, the Netherlands), we found that after controlling for shared variances, higher pathogen disgust was associated with a stronger preference for physical attractiveness. Higher sexual disgust was associated with lower short-term but higher long-term mating orientation. Higher moral disgust was associated with higher long-term mating orientation and a stronger preference for mate commitment. In study 3, we also measured perceived norms surrounding short-term and long-term mating. Results showed that though both types of mating behavior were considered approved by their social groups, participants perceived long-term mating as more so. Moreover, sexual disgust was negatively associated with perceived approval of short-term mating. Finally, we performed mega-analyses collapsing the data from the three studies. Current research provides evidence that different types of disgust play a role in specific aspects of mating psychology.