Slinging political dirt may be something both sides engage in during election season, but for some voters that metaphor may reveal something more fundamental about their view of the world.

According to a study in the September 2012 issue of Social Psychology & Personality Science claims to have found “a positive relationship between disgust sensitivity and political conservatism” — that is, if you’re conservative, you’re more likely to be disgusted by things you experience. It’s a correlation that holds in the samples they tested in the United States and from the rest of the world.