My ick factor is "medium" on most things, both high and low on others - guess that's why I'm an Independent!

From USA Weekend, December 13, 2009
Are you easily disgusted?
A surprising look at how your political views might be affected
By Vi-An Nguyen
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Imagine taking a sip from your drink, only to realize that it belongs to a stranger. Grossed out? If so, then you may be a conservative thinker.
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High "disgust sensitivity," or a tendency to react strongly to things you think are gross, can predict political conservatism, researchers say. Less turned off? That could indicate more liberal views.
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Two recent studies link disgust sensitivity with conservative attitudes on g ay marriage and a bortion. In one, 181 participants were tested for how they'd react to unpleasant situations, such as finding an unflushed toilet in a public restroom. Then they were asked about their political leanings. Researchers found a correlation between being easily disgusted and politically conservative.
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"The more sensitive to disgust you are, the more you might react intuitively negative to se xual or other bodily behaviors that might be seen as unusual or immoral," says Yoel Inbar of Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
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Because disgust is a reaction to perceived impurity, he says, it might inform conservative values such as opposing h omosexuality, g ay marriage and a bortion.

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