Disgust is a specific reaction towards the waste products of the human and animal body. The relation of the various types of sensations to the disgust reaction depends upon the degree of intimacy of contact which they imply and upon the degree of specific association between sensory quality and disgusting object. Food substances which in themselves are not disgusting at all may easily become so through the presence of a disgusting object or even thinking of some disgusting situation. Circumstances which make possible an association between the excretory and the sexual functions include the common taboo of shame placed on both and the close anatomical and functional relationship between the excretory and genital organs. As disgust implies mainly the fear of becoming soiled, animals which have a factual or assumed relation to dirt, such as snakes and worms, frequently arouse disgust. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)