When It Comes to 'The Ick', Men and Women Have Very Distinct Triggers, New Study Shows: Here's How They Differ

There's a name for the sudden disgust you feel toward someone you once found attractive based on something they do: "the ick."

And according to a new study, causes of "the ick" may be split along gender lines.

On the surface, the ick may “superficially signal incompatibility or low mate quality,” according to the study, published in Personality and Individual Differences, that examined the triggers behind the ick. The study relied on a dating survey, as well as the ick triggers as outlined in TikTok videos (with 59 % male vs. 41 % women creators).

Researchers determined that both genders experience the ick — but its catalysts vary.

Women were more likely to experience the ick from misogynistic behavior. For example, “He loudly shushed another girl."

But 40% of women in the study also got the ick from behavior deemed "gender incongruent" — or what they deemed as “overly feminine.” An example: “When he laid his head on my shoulder.”

Men got the ick from physical appearance — “Her feet didn’t reach the floor” — as well as being overly “trendy,” with the example being a woman’s interest in astrology.

“Girls tripping” was cited by men as being publicly embarrassing, another ick.

Both genders got the ick from “annoying speech,” from “weird slang” to “saying ‘Wow, without me?’ whenever I would do anything.”

Some of the examples could fit into several categories: 14% of women complained about "fashion faux pas" — such as "he wore jorts" — which technically is appearance. And men complained about "vanity" — but again, the example was appearance-based: "too into makeup, fake tanner."

The study noted that those with narcissistic tendencies were more likely to experience the ick, explaining, “Narcissism correlated with the likelihood — but not frequency — of experiencing the ick, indicating that narcissistic people may selectively reject partners based on specific perceived flaws.”

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The study noted that social media videos that mock characteristics that trigger the ick may contribute to its proliferation. “Publicly sharing ick experiences could normalize hyper-selectivity,” the study said, “encouraging people to internalize socially constructed aversions that have little bearing on actual compatibility or mate quality.”

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