Reasons Why Disgust Can Become a Sexual Turn-On

Disgust usually reduces arousal, but for some, it's a kink.

• The link between disgust and sexual arousal is complex. Disgust can both increase and decrease arousal.

• Some people may learn to associate disgust with sexual pleasure through conditioning processes.

• The sexual appeal of disgust sometimes resides in the fact that doing disgusting things is taboo, and taboos can be a potent turn-on.

• Disgusting activities are sometimes a way that people enact fantasies or desires for BDSM and power exchange.

“I felt disgusted, but also very satisfied.”
I recently heard this line on an NPR podcast that had absolutely nothing to do with sex; however, it got me thinking. Over the years, I’ve heard many people say similar things about sex on surveys I've conducted. For example, some folks have reported fantasizing about or performing a sex act that triggered feelings of disgust while simultaneously turning them on.
To some, this might sound paradoxical. After all, disgust is an emotion that usually leads us to avoid something. So why does disgust sometimes produce the opposite effect in which we are attracted rather than repelled?
3 Reasons Why Disgust Can Become a Sexual Turn-On