One day you’re madly in love, staring into his eyes and dreaming of your future together. Then suddenly, boom! He goes and does or says something so off-putting that you can’t stomach another second with him. That, my friend, is the ick. It has the uncanny ability to tank an entire relationship. Sometimes it’s a small, random action that weirdly elicits a massive response; like, the way he ties his shoelaces. Other times, it’s something so glaringly gross that most sane people might think you’re crazy if you stuck around to see more.
Someone recently asked women to share the weirdest ick a man ever gave them. They weren’t interested in the boring acts of ick. They wanted to know the seriously crazy, niche things guys have done that sent their significant other's attraction hurtling towards the depths of hell.
Some of the answers were so startling you'd be forgiven for wanting to delete your dating apps immediately and take a vow of celibacy forever. Bored Panda has put together a list of the best of the worst responses. Buckle up, keep scrolling and upvote the ones that give you the ick, too.
#1
I told him I’m studying paleontology and he looked at me like I just said something insane and then asked “you actually believe in dinosaurs??”
Image credits: 🌺Ellen🌸
Take each 'ick' with a grain of salt. That's the advice from Eliana Saunders, the co-author of a study that explored why some people are more prone to getting the 'ick' than others. And in case you've never heard of the 'ick,' the researchers describe it as the sudden feeling of repulsion that leads people to want to end a romantic relationship—sometimes without a clear or logical reason.
“While this feeling of disgust could be a valid marker of mate incompatibility, it could also be a symptom of [your personality traits],” explains Saunders. “Before dumping a partner because their feet dangle when they sit in a chair, we should think critically about why we’re feeling ‘icked’ out. Ask yourself: Is this something I truly can’t deal with, or am I being overly critical? Is this ‘ick’ their fault, or is it mine?”
#2
told me, proudly, that he had never read a book that wasn't a school book. Lost all the attraction i had felt for months in an instant.
Image credits: maxxthenoo
#3
had a normal date and everything was alright...nothing special. But as we said our goodbyes he took both my hands and looked me dead in the eyes... Then proceeded to tell me: "I can't wait to get you pregnant one day". Never spoke to him again and blocked him everywhere. Because what- 😭😭
Image credits: Nelandra
“The ‘ick’ has become an increasingly prevalent topic over the last few decades. We found references to this phenomenon on social media and TV shows dating back to the mid 90s,” said Saunders, a graduate student at Azusa Pacific University.
She added that her team often heard "the ick" used in common conversation, and decided to dig a bit deeper.
"While we can’t say how long the phenomenon has been around, conversations about the ‘ick’ have definitely become more popular–especially in younger generations," explained Saunders.
"Personally, I became interested in learning more about the ick when I heard that a friend of mine kept a running list on her phone notes app of every ick she’d ever experienced from a guy (it was several pages long),” added the researcher.
#4
he bought me ice cream and said "I feel like your owner"
Image credits: attention whore
#5
he asked if my mom could work as a maid for his family because his usual maid was on vacation
Image credits: ace୨ৎ
As part of the study, the researchers conducted a pilot analysis of the first 100 TikTok videos tagged with #theick. They then categorized the ick triggers shared in 86 videos—most of which came from women. The triggers included things like wearing awkward clothing, saying annoying phrases, or exhibiting socially embarrassing conduct.
They then recruited 125 single adults - 74 men and 51 women, ranging in age from 24 to 72. The participants were first asked if they had heard the term “the ick” and whether they had personally experienced it.
"They then rated the likelihood of experiencing the ick in response to specific behaviors, completed personality assessments, and answered questions about their dating experiences," explains psypost.org.
Saunders and her fellow researchers found that those who are more prone to disgust, hold others to high standards, or those who score higher in narcissism are more likely to experience the 'ick.'
#6
he doesn’t talk to his cat.
Image credits: 𝓒𝓱𝓵𝓸𝓮👅
#7
he shouted at his mum for making him a bacon sandwich that wasn't crispy enough
Image credits: laurenlouise7
The team found that 64% of participants had experienced the 'ick' at some point. "Women were significantly more likely than men to be familiar with the term and to report having felt it," notes the site, adding that while the number of times people reported experiencing the ick varied widely, most said it happened rarely or occasionally.
Participants said the ick had led them to stop dating a partner — 26% immediately and 42% later on. Around a third of participants said they continued the relationship despite feeling put off. And almost all said they talked to someone else about their experience, often confiding in friends or family. Not many shared their feelings with the person who caused the ick in the first place.
#8
Asked me what my biggest phobia is, after I told him it he sent me 20 pics of it just to say "Come over to cuddle so youre not scared".Instant block😭
Image credits: tillpitluvr
#9
when i was seventeen i briefly dated a guy that would kick his bedside table whenever i upset or ignored him and then show me the bruises and say it was my fault????
Image credits: chel ☆
According to dating expert Hayley Quinn, ‘The ick’ was first coined by Ally in TV show Ally McBeal. “It’s a dating term that means you get a sudden cringe feeling when you have romantic contact with someone: and become almost immediately put off by them,” Quinn told Cosmo.
“The ick is different to just doubting whether you want to be with somebody,” adds relationship counsellor and psychotherapist Gurpreet Singh. “The ick is much more repulsive. It’s a very strong gut reaction, either to the mannerisms of the person or the way they behave.”
“It could be that you’ve picked something up in their value system that’s completely different from yours, the way they laugh or tell a joke might completely irritate you, or it could even just be their look or smell," Singh says. "There are a whole variety of reasons why the ick develops, but it’s a deep feeling that this person isn’t somebody you want to be with.”
#10
I asked him to hold my small girly purse and he did hold it an arms length away from his body so no-one would assume it's his purse. even told people it's not his purse. Never left a date quicker.
Image credits: fr_koch
#11
caught him p*ss in my bathroom sink. the toilet was right next to him, pristine, smelling like ocean breeze. he chose the sink. talked to him to stop it, he never did.
Image credits: crackfairy
#12
Offered him a salad for dinner. He said he didn’t eat vegetables but only meat. Started whining like a baby. One of the reasons I broke up with him a week later🙏
Image credits: I ate a fetus
Singh says that feeling the ick doesn’t mean that the person you’re dating has done anything wrong. “They’re just the way they are and it might just irritate you,” notes the expert.
The study researchers meanwhile say that while some ick responses may help people identify subtle signs of incompatibility — such as misogynistic behavior — others, like disliking how someone chases a ping pong ball, may reflect socially shaped aversions with little relevance to long-term compatibility.
"In this sense, the ick may sometimes help avoid mismatches but may also promote a rejection mindset that undermines dating success," reads the psypost site.
#13
had snot on their septum ALL THE TIME. when i told them to wipe it they were like “it doesn’t bother me” and then proceeded to lean in to kiss me. with their snotty septum.
Image credits: will🐢
#14
He said he stopped talking to a friend of his because the friend had dyed his hair blue and he didn't like that bcs it meant that he was gay 🙏 i should've left before it got worse
#15
His mom was shaming me like she could be a better gf 😭
Image credits: Atlas ♫⃠ •he/him•
“The ick largely happens early on in a relationship when you’re getting to know the person you’re dating, usually within the first few months or the honeymoon period. You might start to realise repeated behaviours that give you the ick,” Singh said adding that if you start having doubts later down the line in a relationship, that’s probably not an ick. But would be more indicative of just drifting apart.
#16
I had one that would cry and punch himself in the face when I’d bring up an issue that upset me( the issue being him cyberly cheating on me)((with thousands of underage looking girls))
Image credits: lillz😵
#17
He didn’t cut his toenails, just waited until they came off by themselves 😭
Image credits: 🐘
The experts says that people often undervalue the amount of unconscious communication that happens in a relationship. “Our responses to somebody’s smell, behaviour, or value systems can largely be unconscious, and the ick usually comes from that unconscious gut reaction,” Singh explains.
The psycotherapist adds that if you feel the ick, you should give it some time to think about whether you could put up with their behaviour long-term. "However, if you can’t even tolerate them touching your hand then it’s not something you can continue to put up with," cautions Singh. "Ultimately, you shouldn’t ignore it. The ick is a gut reaction, and usually the best thing is to trust your gut.”
#18
Idk probably when he’d send me stock images of hospitals and say he’s there cuz of me and when I’d point out the obvious watermark on the pictures he’d try to gaslight me saying I don’t trust him😔🙏
Image credits: Cherry ♥️
#19
He talked to himself in 3rd person
Image credits: Gosia Borgosz
#20
My first boyfriend got upset with me cause I laughed when he said his mum still cut his toenails at 17 years old.
Image credits: Ellie
#21
He lived alone but went back to his parents every weekend, bringing dirty clothes with him so that his mom could wash them 💀
Image credits: Xhuana
#22
Taking a glass from the cupboard drinking water and then putting the glass back in the cupboard without washing it.
Image credits: Lolo
#23
his mouth would smell whatever he had for lunch every time we went out (at night mind you), would only wash teeth when showering (probs 2 times a week), would wash hair once a month (smelled like mushy peas), left sh*t in my toilet and when I asked him why he didn't clean it he said his mom does it at home THE LIST IS HUGE
Image credits: imasimpforyen
#24
he kept shoving his face up mine and i had to tell him that i don’t enjoy eye contact (im autistic) and if he could stop and he just kept doing it so that i would “get better at it”
Image credits: aIice |-/
#25
I once had a boyfriend and his mom cooked something sweet a classic austrian dish and he started a fight with her in front of me disrespecting her over there being not enough sugar on it (there was and he was hella disrespectful and aggressive about it)
#26
He was American and his geat grandma was from Greece. Another girl told him he was not Greek when he couldn't even point at the country on a map and he made big fuzz abt why he was 100% Greek 🙄
#27
He said „oh your in your bed again.“ excuse me sir I just got of night shifts as a nurse I WAS TIRED
#28
My ex would pull this horrible pouting face like the one from zoolander anytime we would kiss and pull away. I genuinely used to keep my eyes closed after we kissed because it scared me that much
Image credits: ellajadx
#29
When he dehumanized an overweight person and said it was fine cause he has „Fat friends“ LIKE WHAT💀
#30
spitting on purpose, we'll be outside, just walking on the sidewalk and he'll just spit on the ground randomly. He thought it was funny🥀💔
Image credits: ❦︎ CHAOS !! 𓂃
#31
took a selfie with me on the first date and showed it to people, saying I might be “the one”. bearing in mind he was going through a divorce at the time.
Image credits: Zara Molly 🌿🐁✨🍷
#32
He farted right next to me on public transportation and proceeded to call it “marking his territory”
Image credits: 𝓛🎭
#33
called me mom. twice.
Image credits: <3
#34
he stated several times that his cousin was the girl of his life and how much he loves her AND got offended when I said I didn't wanna hear about her all the time
Image credits: angela🍒
#35
Specifically put sad background music on to record a guilt tripping voice note 😭
Image credits: Pixi3_Piws
#36
when he was angry he'd pace back and forth and do a little stomp before turning the other way
Image credits: casey 🎱🐆
#37
he was weirdly close with his cousin and his dad would tell me “if them two weren’t cousins they’d be together” and he would spend days at her house and not text me, god knows what went on tbh😭😭😭
#38
We both had to swallow a little packet of powder (bc he kept giving me infections) and he was so. damn. dramatic about it. I swallowed it in one go, as most of us do but he spent (not exaggerating) around 20 minutes trying not to cough, leaning over the wall and acting all dramatic💀
#39
swore up and down he wanted to marry me... 2 weeks later he cheated and told me he never loved me 💀
Image credits: Aika Shinzaku xer/xem
#40
he didn’t know how to use nail clippers and when i showed him how he scooped the trimmings up in his hand and looked at me and asked what to do next with them
#41
saw him fake rage screaming. thats it 💀
#42
His celebrity crush was more important than me. He would bring this celebrity up in EVERY conversation
Image credits: 罪・SYMBIOTEMEN
#43
Watched him slowly fall in love with chatgpt (I was still logged on his account after breakup). He also sent memes to chatgpt and expected the AI to find it funny…. And more messed up confessions. I could write a whole essay 😮💨
Image credits: 🧿
#44
We went on a walk and his shoe lace broke and he wanted to call his parents to pick us up because he couldn’t walk without shoe laces
#45
we were together for a couple of months at that point. we fought because I thought he was ashamed on me and while holding hands a couple of guys went our way and I asked "wanna stop holding hands cause youre emberessed?" he let go of my hand and said thank you
Image credits: Hellow
#46
Had him over for a cozy dinner with my friends and he kept yapping about making money. My friend had enough and called him an impressive short king, he thought she was flirting with him...
Image credits: Corinna 코리나
#47
Threw a tantrum (like actual screaming stomping his foot) because he had stolen the TV from the living room to put on his desk and his mom asked him to put it back
#48
Walked around with a walking stick everywhere because he thought it would make him look cool
#49
whenever he laughed really hard, snot would come out of his nose and spit from his mouth, and he would always wipe it with his sleeve. and also he never read any book (even the school ones)
#50
He kept talking about his ex and when I mentioned it he said „omg no I’m over her I promise“ then he pulls out HIS PINKY FINGER in a PUBLIC park on the SECOND date and says „pinky promise I’m over her“ and I was just so taken aback I just sat there staring at him, in a public park, holding out his pinky to promise he was over his ex to a girl he had gone on one date with 💔
Image credits: ★
