While research supports the role of disgust in contamination OCD, there is also an overlap with fear in motivating avoidance. The “heebie-jeebies” is an emotional response associated with fear and disgust that motivates avoidance of contact with skin-transmitted pathogens (e.g., parasites). This motivation aligns with characteristics of contamination OCD. From a screening of undergraduate students (N = 188), contamination fearful (n = 14), high trait-anxious (n = 14), and low trait-anxious (n = 18) groups were created. Participants engaged in disgust, fear, and “heebie-jeebies” behavioral avoidance tasks. Participants rated “heebie-jeebies” emotion, physical sensations, and behavioral urges. Duration or refusal of task was recorded. A significant interaction effect was found for disgust and anxiety. Participants with higher disgust reported higher “heebie-jeebies” emotion at high, but not low, levels of anxiety. Exploratory analyses revealed that many contamination fearful and high trait-anxious participants refused to complete the task. The interaction of disgust and anxiety significantly predicted the probability of refusal. Participants with higher disgust and anxiety were more likely to refuse to complete the task. Results suggest that the “heebie-jeebies” motivates avoidance of skin-transmitted pathogens. Future research is warranted to further investigate the “heebie-jeebies” and how it relates to contamination concerns.

尽管研究支持了厌恶情绪在强迫症中的作用，但在鼓励规避方面也存在恐惧。“ heebie-jeebies”是一种与恐惧和厌恶相关的情绪反应，促使人们避免与皮肤传播的病原体（例如寄生虫）接触。这种动机与污染强迫症的特征相吻合。通过对本科生的筛选（N = 188），担心污染（n = 14），高特质焦虑（n = 14）和低特质焦虑（n= 18）个群组已创建。参与者从事厌恶，恐惧和“ heebie-jeebies”行为回避任务。参加者对“ heebie-jeebies”的情绪，身体感觉和行为冲动进行了评分。记录任务的持续时间或拒绝。发现对厌恶和焦虑有明显的交互作用。厌恶情绪较高的参与者在较高但不是较低的焦虑水平下表现出较高的“ heebie-jeebies”情绪。探索性分析显示，许多担心污染和高特质焦虑的参与者拒绝完成任务。厌恶和焦虑的相互作用显着预测了拒绝的可能性。厌恶和焦虑程度更高的参与者更有可能拒绝完成任务。结果表明，“ heebie-jeebies”可以避免皮肤传播的病原体。