WC138 SeptOct 2024 - Flipbook - Page 32
behaviour is largely directed by a need to
avoid or deny death. Humans’ extraordinary
mental capabilities come with a cost; our
self-awareness, abstract thought, and ability
to consider the past and predict the future
make us distinctly aware of our mortality.
The knowledge that—no matter what we
do—our lives unavoidably end with death
and decay has the potential to cause paralyzing anxiety. The reason we don’t live in a
constant state of terror is because our brains
activate automatically to help us manage our
death thoughts.
People deny, distract, or rationalize away
risks if death thoughts are conscious. When
faced with the climate crisis, people might
deny the phenomenon, withdraw attention,
or reassure themselves they are not personally impacted. We also rely on our cultural
“These reminders of our physical vulnerabilities have the
worldviews and self-esteem to suppress
potential to amplify water reuse disgust and rejection.”
unconscious death awareness; they provide
opportunities to feel like valuable people
that are part of something bigger, more
meaningful, and longer lasting than our individual self. We can live on symbolically, for
example, by having children, building large
infrastructure projects, or being part of an
environmental movement. More than 1,000
outreach. For my Royal Roads’ doctoral research, I am examining TMT studies over three decades from 25 different countries
demonstrate that death thoughts influence human behaviours—
WHY water reuse is disgusting and what this means for how
including water consumption decisions—in predictable ways (see
water professionals engage with communities on the subject.
Schmiel et al., 2019 for a review).
In TMT research, disgust reactions exist as a rejection response
Is recycled water’s contamination threat physical or
to the idea that humans are animals. The human-animal conpsychological?
nection disturbs us because, if we are only mortal creatures, our
An immediate response to the question above might be that
lives are no more significant than a squirrel on the side of the
it’s obvious: recycled water is disgusting because the wastewater
source is contaminated with bacteria and viruses that could cause road, and our fragile bodies are just as susceptible to death and
decay. Creatureliness reminders—i.e., that humans are animals—
sickness and death from contact and ingestion. From this perspective, disgust and associated avoidance reactions are biological prompt unconscious mortality awareness and trigger defensive
responses intended to protect the body from harm. But, based on reactions against death anxiety.
Humans use culture and express disgust to reject our creaturemy extensive literature review, no known research has confirmed
liness and, subsequently, separate from the frail and fleeting nathat physical contamination concerns are the key driver of water
ture of life in the animal kingdom. The underlying commonality
reuse disgust. The research does show that disgust can also be
between the many disgusting ideas, behaviour, people, and things
a cultural response that offers protection from psychological
is that they all blur the boundary between humans and animals.
contamination, including a symbolic defense against the idea of
Our body functions and products are an especially problematic,
death.
constant disgusting reminder that we are just another eating,
Terror Management Theory (TMT)—developed by Dr.
Sheldon Solomon, Dr. Tom Pyszczynski, and Dr. Jeff Greenberg, fornicating, defecating, flesh-and-blood creature. To cope, we
apply symbolic, cultural significance to the human body, which
based on Ernest Becker’s work—offers a novel perspective on
we protect from defilement by living in an elevated, cultured,
water reuse disgust. The core theoretical premise is that human
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WATER C AN ADA • SEP TEMBER/OCTOBER 2024
WAT E R C A N A D A . N E T
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