A putrid odor has the ability to make a person scrunch of their face and say “Ew!” But can it turn them homophobic? A new study titled Disgust and the Politics of Sex says the answer is: Possibly.
Researchers at the University of Arkansas found that people are less likely to support same-sex marriage if they are in an odorous environment, The New Republic reports.
57 people participated in the study led by political science professor Patrick Stewart (not to be confused this guy) and his team of researchers. Participants were placed in one of two rooms. One of the rooms was just a regular old lab. The other was infused with butyric acid, which smells like human vomit. Participants were then given a questionnaire asking about their social and political views.
Those in the vomit-smelling room were far less tolerant of same-sex marriage and gay relationships. They also tended to have more conservative stances on issues like premarital sex, pornography, and abortion. Older participants were especially affected by the vomit smell.
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“It is possible,” researchers hypothesize, “that exposure to a disgusting odorant caused increased feelings of disgust, which in turn activated the harm avoidance system and motivated a desire for purity.”
In other news: LGBT rights activists have begun perfuming polling booths across the country.
Check out this infographic from the study below.
Attitudes about the following statement: “If a close friend of family member were gay, I would support their right to having a same-sex marriage.”
DannX68
When I think back to situations where there was a foul smell, I got realy easily annoyed and angry, especially if it was something you couldn’t easily escape.
Maybe people just get annoyed more easily when in annoying situations?
sfbeast
Maybe this is why people are so much more bigoted in the South.
Merv
Fifty-seven people participated in the study? I kind of doubt the statistical significance of such a small sample size.
Qjersey
in other words, tolerant people repress their disgust repsonse
LandStander
A sample size of 57 is nowhere near enough to come to any actual scientific conclusions…
Lvng1tor
So in other words unhappy people want others to be unhappy and are intolerant? Huh….WOW next they will uncover the meaning of LIFE! http://www.exposedfiles.com/republicans-old-money-category-list/61-why-do-some-middle-class-people-vote-republican It’s actually something that has been studied in many forms. Here’s a similar study.
Mikah
Who comes up with this stuff?”Hey guys,lets see if people are more homophobic in a room that stinks!”
jonjct
the professor is clown. pseudo science paid for with a grant.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
“Those in the vomit-smelling room were far less tolerant of same-sex marriage and gay relationships.”
And not too suprisingly, they felt right at home! :p