Ugly
Why they gross us out.
Image: WiffleGif
Had someone asked me why my little brother grossed me out ten years ago I would have said, “Because he’s gross. He does gross things. Duh.”
Image: Zutadella
I imagine that a similar response would often be given if people were regularly asked why bacteria/yeast/fungi gross them out—because they’re gross and they do gross things. Duh.
In truth, that answer is somewhat of a good one. At the very least, it gives us some insight into our relationship with microbes. Namely, it demonstrates that the average aversion to microbes is both inherent and learned. Even if you can’t put your finger on exactly why the picture to the right makes you shudder, you can’t help it.
Now it’s pretty easy to explain how something can be off-putting when you’re taught to avoid it. Some group of adults likely taught you as a child about the importance of washing your hands to get rid of germs. The point was always to avoid getting sick or spreading sickness. And just like that, germs (and thus microbes) are made to be bad guys in your malleable child mind.
What about everything else that makes microbes gross..? Like that distinctly foul smell from expired milk or that nauseatingly blue-green fuzz on last month’s bread? Surprisingly, or maybe unsurprisingly, this is where evolution came into play.
To keep things brief, the idea here is that those of our ancestors who were naturally repulsed by things with the potential to make us sick were less likely to eat those things. They were then less likely to get sick, more likely to survive long enough to have kids, and more likely to have kids who were also repulsed by the same things.
So you can thank your hundred-times-great-grandmother for your hatred of rotten food. Seriously. After all, could you imagine if the smell of moldy lemons was appetizing? Yeah…that could be bad.
Image: Imgflip.com
Between our noses, eyes and previous experiences we’re pretty well wired to avoid microbes at all costs, but remember—the ones that gross you out are just a small subset of the vast number that actually exist!
Even if they’re gross, microbes are still essential to us and this Earth. Sort of like my like my little brother. I’ll probably always see him as a gross kid but I will also always know that he is a crucial part of my life and I couldn’t live without him.