Media release

From: The Royal Society

Body odor disgust sensitivity is associated with xenophobia: Evidence from 9 countries across 5 continents

Royal Society Open Science

We studied how disease avoidance and smell-induced disgust are related to prejudice. Our research suggests that individuals who are more easily disgusted by body odours are also more likely to be prejudiced towards a fictitious group of immigrants, because they think of them as different in terms of food, hygiene, and sanitary customs. We found this relationship to be consistent across the globe (9 countries, 6000+ participants). Although this relationship might seem surprising at first, it fits well with the disease avoidance theory that emphasises psychological mechanisms – attitudes and behaviors – to recognize and evade pathogen threats, often by evoking disgust.