Unveiling Self-Disgust: fEMG Responses to Sexual Experiences

Gawlik, Greta Anais (2025) Unveiling Self-Disgust: fEMG Responses to Sexual Experiences. Master thesis, Psychology.

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Abstract

Disgust has been increasingly recognised as a factor that may interfere with sexual functioning and contribute to sexual problems. Prior work has identified three core domains of disgust: pathogen, sexual, and moral. Furthermore, research suggests disgust can be self-directed, particularly in sexual contexts, impacting sexual well-being. This study examined whether imagining oneself in disgust-eliciting scenarios across sexual, moral, and pathogen domains could evoke self-directed disgust. We hypothesised that self-disgust would be significantly higher in the self-perspective condition compared to the other-perspective condition, across all three disgust domains and as measured by both subjective and physiological measures. Using a within-subjects design, we expanded on Brouwer et al. (2023) by using 11 high-quality, audio-recorded sexual scenarios, each presented from a self- and other-perspective, resulting in 22 trials total. 32 female participants (mean age = 19.59 years, SD = 0.91) rated their self-disgust after each scenario, while facial electromyography (fEMG) recorded activity in the m. levator labii superioris (LLS) and m. depressor anguli oris (DAO), muscles associated with expressions of disgust. Subjective ratings showed significantly higher self-disgust in the self-perspective condition compared to the other-perspective condition. In contrast, physiological data revealed no significant differences between conditions for either the LLS or the DAO. This suggests a potential disconnect between reported self-disgust and its physiological expression. These findings extend Brouwer et al.’s (2023) work by employing more ecologically valid stimuli and physiological measures, and underscore the importance of self-disgust in sexual self-evaluation and well-being. Keywords: self-disgust, sexual experiences, sex-related audio scenarios, facial electromyography

Item Type:	Thesis (Master)
Supervisor name:	Borg, C.
Degree programme:	Psychology
Differentiation route:	Clinical Forensic Psychology and Victimology (FP) [Master Psychology]
Date Deposited:	14 Jul 2025 07:21
Last Modified:	14 Jul 2025 07:21
URI:	http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/5499

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