Herz, Rachel

Draws on the latest research from neuroscience to explore our complex relationship with food and the sensory, psychological, and physiological facts that influence our eating habits. Examines cravings, triggers, comfort food, and the role personality plays in food preferences.

Disgust originated to prevent humans from eating poisonous food, but this simple safety mechanism has since evolved into a uniquely human emotion that dictates how people treat others, shapes cultural norms, and even has implications for mental and physical health. This book illuminates the science behind disgust, tackling such colorful topics as cannibalism, humor, and pornography to address larger questions including why sources of disgust vary among people and societies and how disgust influences individual personalities, daily lives, and values. It turns out that disgust underlies more than we realize, from political ideologies to the lure of horror movies.

Examines the psychology of smell, exploring the crucial role smell plays in daily life, its evolution throughout history, and the ways smell shapes people's emotional, physical, and sexual lives.