Previous research has shown that political attitudes are highly heritable, but the proximal physiological mechanisms that shape ideology remain largely unknown. Based on work suggesting possible ideological differences in genes related to low-level sensory processing, we predicted that taste (i.e., gustatory) sensitivity would be associated with political ideology. In 4 studies (combined N = 1,639) we test this hypothesis and find robust support for this association. In Studies 1-3, we find that sensitivity to the chemicals PROP and PTC-2 well established measures of taste sensitivity-are associated with greater political conservatism. In Study 4, we find that fungiform papilla density, a proxy for taste bud density, also predicts greater conservatism, and that this association is partially statistically mediated by disgust sensitivity. This work suggests that low-level physiological differences in sensory processing may shape an individual's political attitudes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

中文翻译：

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品味问题：味觉敏感性预示着政治意识形态。

先前的研究表明，政治态度具有高度遗传性，但塑造意识形态的近端生理机制在很大程度上仍然未知。基于表明与低水平感官加工相关的基因可能存在意识形态差异的工作，我们预测味觉（即味觉）敏感性将与政治意识形态相关联。在 4 项研究（合并 N = 1,639）中，我们检验了这一假设并找到了对该关联的有力支持。在研究 1-3 中，我们发现对化学物质 PROP 和 PTC-2 的敏感性已经确立的味觉敏感性测量与更大的政治保守主义有关。在研究 4 中，我们发现菌状乳头密度（味蕾密度的代表）也预示着更大的保守性，并且这种关联在统计上是由厌恶敏感性部分介导的。这项工作表明，感官处理中的低水平生理差异可能会影响个人的政治态度。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2020 APA，保留所有权利）。