Why You Get The Ick (The Science Of Disgust In Love & Friendship)

The first peer-reviewed study of "the ick" has arrived, and Liz Moody surveyed 700,000 listeners to gather real-world examples. The question driving the episode: should we trust that sudden feeling of disgust as genuine intuition warning us away from a bad partner or friend, or is it a misfiring alarm system that keeps us from forming real connections?

What the Ick Actually Is

The researchers defined the ick as a sudden feeling of disgust. People who are more easily grossed out in general are also more likely to get the ick. Disgust exists to protect us—it keeps us from eating raw chicken, handling waste, or leaving our social groups. But the problem is that the disgust alarm in our brain is overly sensitive, like a smoke detector that goes off when you burn toast or steam up the bathroom.

The study maps icks onto three types of disgust. Pathogen disgust is about avoiding germs—things like open-mouth chewing or bad hygiene that feel unsanitary. Sexual disgust is designed to keep us from picking bad mates, which explains why kissing with too much tongue can trigger the ick. Moral disgust keeps society functioning, which is why being rude to service workers feels disgusting to witness. These three categories covered almost every ick Moody collected from her audience.

Why the Alarm Goes Off Too Often