I am currently reading Sapolsky, who describes an experiment showing that people who experienced disgust (for example, by holding their hand in a vomit simulation) tend to recommend harsher punishments for violations related to cleanliness.
This is explained by the fact that disgust is associated with activity in a part of the brain called the insula. This brain region is activated by repulsive smells or sensations. For the last hundred million years, this helped in survival by choosing what to put in one’s mouth and what not to. Later, when people encountered the need to assess acts and with moral judgment in general, evolution just added this role to the insula, as developing a specialized area of the brain simply takes more time and it’s a big question if it’s really necessary. Actually, the reverse pattern also works – a good smell and taste facilitate people being more agreeable and more often positively assessing artworks. Another study showed that hunger makes us less tolerant. Analyses of judges’ decisions were correlated with the times they had eaten.
Source: Implicit effects of sweet tastes: M.Schaefer et al. “Sweet Taste Experience Improves Prosocial Intentions and Attractive Ratings” Psychological Research 85 (2021): 1724. B.Meier et al., “Sweet Taste Preferences and Experiences Predict Prosocial Inferences, Personalities, and Behaviors,” Psychological Sciences 102 (2012): 163.
Do you now understand why it is good to keep small treats handy during negotiations?
Hi, I'm Rauf Aliev. 