Time and again, the researchers found that when they asked questions like whether a participant would be grossed out by a neighbor's stinky feet, farts, urine, feces, or armpit smells, Trump supporters were predictably more sensitive to the idea of foul body odor.
The researchers said the finding isn't true across the board for all conservatives; but it was closely linked with people's support for socially conservative ideas and endorsement of President Trump.
"This relationship seems to be explained by a particular aspect of social conservatism called right-wing authoritarianism," lead author Marco Tullio Liuzza told Business Insider in an email. This "right-wing authoritarianism," he said, includes an acceptance of authority and a hostility towards groups that don't closely adhere to a traditional social order.
Conservatives don't like being grossed out Psychologists have previously found that socially conservative people look away from gross images like blood and vomit quicker than liberals. Conservatives' brains are also more active in areas that are associated with processing fear.
Being grossed out is not a bad thing such reactions have helped humans survive for millennia. As we wade our way through a world of pathogens, it's helpful to get turned off by any potential germy foreign objects or stinky stuff.
Liuzza said the strong reaction of conservatives "may share an evolutionary source with an emotion that evolved to protect our bodies by poisonous substances and diseases."
But other recent research has suggested that socially conservative people's ability to get easily grossed out can extend into prejudice for unfamiliar groups like immigrants or gay people.
The researchers caution that while the trend is an interesting psychological finding, it accounts for only a small portion of individual differences when it comes to people's political preferences.
In other words, you can't know for sure who your neighbor voted for just because they're wrinkling their nose.
A society that expects you to not stink is authoritarian. Liberty is smelling however I want. ---
Dielman on Rivers: "I've tried to get him to say s--- or f--- and all he'll ever do is say, 'Golly gee, I can't do that."