Are Individual Differences in Food‐Related Disgust Associated With Thermal Taster Status?

ABSTRACT Foods that are considered disgusting can elicit strong aversive sensations. As thermal tasters (TT) rate the intensity of orosensory sensations higher than thermal non‐tasters (TnT), it is possible TT also experience stronger food‐related disgust than TnT. To explore this and related hypotheses, a cross‐national convenience sample of female participants (Canada, England) was screened for TT status. Participants then completed the food disgust scale (FDS), which measures individual differences in disgust sensitivity to food and food‐related situations. Unexpectedly, TnT scored higher on the FDS than TT, indicating that TnT tend to experience food‐related disgust more intensely. The results provide preliminary evidence that in female participants, individual differences in taste responsiveness are not associated with individual differences in food‐related disgust. As the data were collected cross‐nationally, the impact of minor differences in the TTS screening protocol between countries was also explored.