DooDooSlinger t1_j0twp6t wrote
Reply to comment by beartheminus in Disgusting odors trigger the oral immune system by burtzev
I think it's not that obvious that the effect is sufficient to reduce transmission of disease or course of disease, would need to be proved. Would also need to quantify the amount of smell which causes immune reaction, or if it is the "psychological" reaction to smells or the compounds in the smell / activation of the associated receptors which trigger it. It may well be that covering the smell still leads to activation of "bad smell" receptors and thus immune response.
funky_fart_smeller t1_j0uky4d wrote
Hi there DooDooSlinger, Funky_Fart_Smeller checking in. I believe in the manuscript they do discuss the measures they took to 'personalize' the the levels and types of disgust, given that it differs drastically from person to person. In fact, they also reference earlier research showing that simply seeing a photo of a person sneezing can trigger an immune response.
It is also interesting that along with the increased immune response, sensitivity to bitter tastes is also triggered by disgusting smells.
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