Submitted by molllymaybe t3_y6z25l in askscience
Petal_Chatoyance t1_isv362p wrote
Reply to comment by farrenkm in How is the human gut microbiome established in infancy or earlier on? by molllymaybe
You are correct, of course. But the disgust is also part of our wiring. We evolved to find such things disgusting, because in most cases, slimy, poopy, bloody situations are vectors for disease transmission. It serves survival to find all such sensations and appearances disgusting.
Which is why we also have a circuit for shutting it down during things like sex. The same person who is disgusted by slime and goop and oozing will, if aroused enough, find all of those things attractive temporarily.
It's amazing machinery, and amazing evolutionary programming, but - also really grotesque.
Though, as stated, I only find it so because my meat evolved to keep me from messing with it in most cases.
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