Episode 277: Dr. Rachel Herz | The Science of Disgust, Smell, and Why You Eat What You Eat

About this episode

Dr. Rachel Herz discusses the neuroscience behind disgust and its impact on eating behaviors.

What if the key to understanding your relationship with food isn't willpower — it's neuroscience? In this fascinating episode, Dr. Vera Tarman sits down with Dr. Rachel Herz, neuroscientist, leading expert on the psychology of smell, and author of Why You Eat What You Eat and That's Disgusting . From the evolutionary roots of disgust to why ultra-processed foods bypass our natural aversion responses, this conversation will genuinely change how you think about what ends up on your plate — and in your mouth. What You'll Learn in This Episode Why disgust is almost entirely learned — and what the one innate exception is The neuroanatomy of smell and why scent is so deeply tied to emotion and memory How one bad experience with a food can create a lifelong aversion (one-trial learning) The difference between disgust and fear — and why that distinction matters for disordered eating Why non-tasters may be more prone to overeating than super tasters How ultra-processed food is engineered to bypass our natural "this isn't real food" signals Whether disgust could be a therapeutic tool in changing our relationship with UPFs Why Dr. Herz believes disordered eating is psychological and…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Vera Tarman

Guest: Dr. Rachel Herz

Topics covered

• neuroscience
• psychology of smell
• disgust
• eating behavior
• ultra-processed foods
• disordered eating

Keywords

• neuroscience
• disgust
• eating behavior
• smell
• ultra-processed foods
• disordered eating
• one-trial learning

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Brown University

Books & works: Why You Eat What You Eat, That's Disgusting

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