A gleefully nasty deep dive into the biology and psychology of the paradoxically seductive emotion of disgust—from one of the most distinctive voices in science writing

Life is gross. We laugh at each other’s farts, we lift the lid on those long-forgotten leftovers to check out that funky mold, we watch gory movies from The Fly to The Substance in a disturbed trance. They all inspire disgust: that sinus-withering, throat-constricting, nauseating emotional response. Your body is simultaneously trying to expel the offense and protect itself against disease. We cover our eyes, say “eww,” and then peek through our fingers anyway. That’s the trick. Disgust repels—and yet it lures.

In Gross, science journalist Leigh Cowart explores the cultural, evolutionary, and deeply personal implications of this emotion. Cowart visits caves covered in bat poop and Coney Island’s legendary hot dog eating contest (less “eating” than “inhaling”); hoards stories of bodily goo; and interviews everyone from neurologists to trauma therapists to stink-bomb manufacturers. Disgust has its slippery tentacles all over our daily lives: from what we eat and who we love to how we feel about our bodies and ultimately experience our messy world.

Because here’s the thing: playing with disgust helps us stay alive. Every low-stakes encounter with disgust fortifies us; you have seen such horrors before and survived, and you know that with a little distance and comedic timing, an icky moment of revulsion today can make for a gut-busting story later on.

Blending rigorous research with gonzo curiosity and fearless humor, Cowart brings us into contact with our own limits and seduces us into shared transgression.