Scientists have coupled certain infectious diseases with six types of emotions that nature may have created to help us avoid the health conditions that trigger these feelings, specifically various levels of disgust. From risky sexual behavior to rotting food, unhygienic people, open wounds and pus, to defecation in public and listening to sneezes, each condtion conjures up an emotional disgust and avoidance reaction that, through the ages, may have helped contain the spread of infectious diseases, Psy Org reports. The study also showed gender differences: Women were more sensitive to all the categories than men.
While this is an intriguing study that shows how first impressions may protect us from making bad health decisions, there is far more to avoiding illness than just relying on how repugnant something may be to our senses. As we know, all kinds of other factors come in to play that work together to give you a strong, healthy body. For example, early exposure to certain microbes — meaning early childhood — may very well protect us from diseases such as cancer later.
We also know that our obsession with cleanliness can have a detrimental effect on our health — you need look no further than the decades we’ve spent using antibiotic soaps and cleaners in an effort to sanitize our way to health. What’s happened in the long run is that we now live in a world that is so antibiotic-resistant that we’re in danger of losing the last life-saving antibiotics we have, with a new drug-resistance gene now present in 27 U.S. states.
Along this same line, our compulsion to keep our bodies squeaky “clean” is actually harming us by denying us the very microbes necessary for building disease resistance. You need look no further than our children to see this: Where children once spent long hours outdoors, they now spend long hours inside sitting in front of screens (often on floors scrubbed clean with anti-bacterial detergents).
This is a shame, as it's known that children who consume natural foods in their natural state — like raw milk — have a lower risk of respiratory infections, asthma and allergies. These beneficial microbes aren't only stripped from their food but also from their very environments.
The rising rates of asthma, allergies and other autoimmune conditions among children may be the culmination of a dirt-free childhood. The fact is, we're all microbial beings and our children need exposure to microorganisms for reasons we are just beginning to understand.
So, when we hear about studies like this, which show our natural emotions can clue us in on ways of avoiding disease, we also need to balance those emotions with common sense and, in a sentence, remembering to eat whole foods and live wholesome lives. In other words, pay attention to your senses, but also enjoy life. Go outside, get dirty, breathe clean air, wash with regular soap and water, get plenty of exercise and feed your body whole, fresh, organically-raised foods, and you’ll be on track for good health.