The relationship between disgust sensitivity and serum cytokine levels in non-pregnant women: a generalization of previous results on pregnant population

The behavioural immune system functions via the emotion of disgust, which triggers avoidant reactions that protect the individual from pathogens. The behavioural immune system is closely linked with physiological immune system, their mutually compensatory and preparatory functions are discussed. A recent study on pregnant women supported the notion that disgust increases when the physiological immune system is not sufficiently activated. The aim of this current study was to confirm these results on 78 healthy non-pregnant women, measuring immune activity via multiplex immunoassay and disgust sensitivity via the Disgust Scale Revised (DS-R), Three Domains of Disgust Scale (TDDS) and Tactile Disgust Stimuli Set, as well as Perceived Vulnerability to Disease. As in the previous study, we showed a significant negative association between disgust and certain pro-inflammatory cytokines, specifically between DS-R core disgust and MCP-1 and DS-R contamination disgust and IL-1β and TNF-α, suggesting a compensatory relationship between the systems. Simultaneously, we observed positive associations between IL-5 and IL-12 and both the DS-R core and overall scores, as well as between the TDDS pathogen domain and MIP-1β. These associations may reflect some psychological states and traits, as elevated levels of IL-5, IL-12 and MIP-1β have been linked to neuroticism, depression, and disorders accompanied by anxiety. We found no significant correlations between cytokine levels and both tactile disgust and perceived vulnerability to disease. Our findings thus support both the adaptive function of disgust and its links to mental health and point to the complexity of the behavioural immune system.