Have you ever been completely smitten with someone, only to suddenly find yourself inexplicably repulsed by them? In the first study, researchers analyzed popular videos with the hashtag theick to identify the most common triggers for a sudden turn-off Collisson et al.
Women also considered misogynistic behavior and fashion faux pas as frequent icks. For men, physical appearance made the top five, though it did not for women. This suggests that personality and behavior often play a bigger role than looks when it comes to the ick. The main study explored the link between personality traits and the likelihood of experiencing the ick.
Researchers surveyed single adults ages , measuring their levels of disgust sensitivity, narcissism, and perfectionism. They also asked about their familiarity with and experiences of the ick. On average, participants had experienced the ick approximately six times with one person reporting instances of the ick.
This aligns with the evolutionary psychology idea that women, due to greater parental investment, may be more attuned to potential mate incompatibilities and relationship risks. However, among those who had experienced the ick, men and women reported experiencing it the same amount. People who are easily disgusted by things like germs, bodily fluids, etc.
However, this doesn't necessarily mean they experience the ick more often than others, just that they might be strongly affected by certain triggers. Think of it like having a sensitive smoke alarm β it might go off more easily for specific types of smoke, but not necessarily for all smoke.
