Would you eat a bug? How about fine-crafted chocolate — shaped like poo? Your answer depends on both your disgust at the prospect and whether you choose to act on that emotion, says political psychologist Cindy Kam. She dives into how the feeling of disgust — whether motivated by real or imagined contamination — can connect or divide us, from everyday decisions to political alliances.

For a chance to give your own TED Talk, fill out the Idea Search Application: ted.com/ideasearch.

Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links:

TEDNext: ted.com/futureyou

TEDSports: ted.com/sports

TEDAI Vienna: ted.com/ai-vienna

TEDAI San Francisco: ted.com/ai-sf

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.