Disgust, Anxiety, and Political Learning in the Face of Threat. Issue 2 (25th March 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Clifford, Scott; Jerit, Jennifer
• Is Part Of: American journal of political science. Volume 62:Issue 2(2018)
• Page Start: 266
• Page End: 279
• Publication Date: 2018-03-25
• Subjects: Political science -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; Computer network resources; 320.05
• DOI: 10.1111/ajps.12350
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0092-5853

Abstract

Abstract: Emotions feature prominently in political rhetoric and media frames, and they have potent effects on how people process information. Yet, existing research has largely overlooked the influence of disgust, which is a basic emotion that leads people to avoid contamination threats. We illustrate how disgust may impede learning, as compared to the more commonly studied emotion of anxiety. Disgust and anxiety are natural reactions to many kinds of political threats, but the two emotions influence political engagement in different ways. This study investigated the distinctive effects of disgust in a series of experiments that manipulated information about the outbreak of an infectious disease. People who felt disgusted by a health threat were less likely to learn crucial facts about the threat and less likely to seek additional information. Thus, disgust has the counterintuitive effect of decreasing public engagement in precisely those situations where it is most critical.