Feb 18, 2025 07:45 PM
https://phys.org/news/2025-02-people-ick...ating.html
EXCERPT: A sudden negative feeling regarding another person is nothing new. Many people experience it when viewing others, regardless of gender or dating status. However, the term "the ick" came into its own after it was used on the popular television show Alley McBeal in the late 1990s.
Then, as now, the term has come to be used to describe a sudden feeling of disgust with a potential dating partner—a trait that may be a dealbreaker. In this new effort, the research trio sought to learn more about the phenomenon.
In the beginning, the researchers noted that some evidence had suggested the ick is likely a trigger for something more serious. Experiencing the ick out of the blue, for example, when a partner begins eating something from a dish in the refrigerator, may trigger deep-seated fears of living with a person who is reckless about consuming possibly dangerous food, which could put others, including offspring at risk.
The research trio recruited 125 adult volunteers who had previously fallen victim to the ick in a relationship, asking them to watch the behavior of people on TikTok videos and to report any incidences of the ick.
In their data, the researchers found that women were more likely to have experienced the ick in the past, and were also more likely to experience it in their daily life. They also noted that people who described themselves as sensitive to disgust were more likely to experience the ick—and were likely to experience it more often as well.
This, the researchers suggest, hints at the possibility of a heightened threshold of rejection by some people. They also found a correlation between narcissism and the likelihood of experiencing the ick, suggesting such people are more likely to see certain traits in others as flaws.
The research team suggests that the ick is likely nothing more than a tool people use to help them identify partnering incompatibilities, though some are overly rigid with its use... (MORE - missing details)
PAPER: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve...6925000480
EXCERPT: A sudden negative feeling regarding another person is nothing new. Many people experience it when viewing others, regardless of gender or dating status. However, the term "the ick" came into its own after it was used on the popular television show Alley McBeal in the late 1990s.
Then, as now, the term has come to be used to describe a sudden feeling of disgust with a potential dating partner—a trait that may be a dealbreaker. In this new effort, the research trio sought to learn more about the phenomenon.
In the beginning, the researchers noted that some evidence had suggested the ick is likely a trigger for something more serious. Experiencing the ick out of the blue, for example, when a partner begins eating something from a dish in the refrigerator, may trigger deep-seated fears of living with a person who is reckless about consuming possibly dangerous food, which could put others, including offspring at risk.
The research trio recruited 125 adult volunteers who had previously fallen victim to the ick in a relationship, asking them to watch the behavior of people on TikTok videos and to report any incidences of the ick.
In their data, the researchers found that women were more likely to have experienced the ick in the past, and were also more likely to experience it in their daily life. They also noted that people who described themselves as sensitive to disgust were more likely to experience the ick—and were likely to experience it more often as well.
This, the researchers suggest, hints at the possibility of a heightened threshold of rejection by some people. They also found a correlation between narcissism and the likelihood of experiencing the ick, suggesting such people are more likely to see certain traits in others as flaws.
The research team suggests that the ick is likely nothing more than a tool people use to help them identify partnering incompatibilities, though some are overly rigid with its use... (MORE - missing details)
PAPER: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve...6925000480