My Food Disgust Sensitivity test: how to take viral food disgust test, what do results mean - is it accurate?

A new test which maps out which food items and situations people are most disgusted by has gone viral, with thousands of Twitter and social media users posting their results to their pages and feeds.

The IDRlabs Food Disgust Sensitivity Test (IDR-FDST) is informed by the work of Dr. Christina Hartmann and Dr. Michael Siegrist at the Technical University of Zurich, who found that there are eight distinct categories that people’s disgust concerning food can be broken into.

Once completed, the test returns a colourful chart which clearly maps out what users are most disgusted by, ranging from animal flesh, to mould and unhygienic food standards.

But how can you take the test for yourself? What is Food Disgust Sensitivity, and is the test actually reliable? Here is everything you need to know about it.

What is food disgust sensitivity?

Food disgust sensitivity is a psychological trait that refers to the degree to which an individual is sensitive to the idea, sight, smell, taste, or texture of certain foods, and experiences a feeling of disgust in response.

It is a multidimensional trait that can be influenced by a range of factors, including genetic predisposition, early childhood experiences, cultural norms and values, and personal beliefs and attitudes.

Some people may be inherently more sensitive to certain tastes or textures, while others may develop aversions to specific foods due to past experiences, such as a negative association with a particular food after getting sick from it.

People with high food disgust sensitivity tend to be more sensitive to the negative aspects of food, such as the potential for contamination, and may be more likely to follow strict dietary rules and avoid certain foods or food groups, such as meat or dairy products.

This sensitivity is believed to be a protective mechanism that may encourage individuals to be more selective in their food choices, and helps individuals avoid potentially harmful foods and reduce the risk of illness. It may also lead to a greater appreciation for food safety and hygiene/

However, it can also lead to food aversions and restrictive eating patterns that may compromise overall health and nutrition. Additionally, high food disgust sensitivity has been linked to eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

Food disgust sensitivity can be measured using various questionnaires that assess an individual’s responses to different types of foods or food-related stimuli.

These typically ask individuals to rate their level of disgust or aversion to a range of food items, flavours, textures or odours, and may also assess other related factors, such as fear of contamination or fear of eating unfamiliar foods.

How does the trending test work?

By asking a variety of food-based questions and having users rank their answers on a scale between “Strongly Disagree” and “Strongly Agree”, the test measures the factors that cause food aversion, such as ”Animal Flesh Sensitivity”.

This refers to a person’s tendency to feel disgust at raw meat or less frequently consumed animal parts, though the disgust may also be triggered by other perceptions of animal flesh, like the smell of frying or cooking meat or seeing the parts of an animal that remind us of ourselves - faces, feet and eyes etc.

This factor is just one of the eight measured in the test, though it is considered to have the strongest cultural foundation of all the food disgust triggers, and many vegans and vegetarians report having more disgust for these types of food after switching to these diets.

Is the test reliable?

The publishers of the online test say they have worked hard to make it as reliable and valid as possible. But free online tests do not usually offer any kind of expert evaluations or recommendations.

Free online tests and quizzes cannot make accurate assessments, and so the test should only be used for educational purposes. Only a trained mental health professional can make an accurate assessment of food disgust.

How can I take the test?

To do the IDR-FDST test for yourself, simply head to idrlabs.com/food-disgust/test.php. Once you have completed the test, you’ll be able to easily share your results to your social media platform of choice.