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Related Experiment Videos

A Moist Crevice for Word Aversion: In Semantics Not Sounds.

Paul H Thibodeau1

  • 1Department of Psychology, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH, United States of America.

Plos One
|April 28, 2016
PubMed
Summary

Many people dislike the word "moist," with studies showing this word aversion stems from its association with unpleasant bodily functions, not its sound. This psychological phenomenon affects 10-20% of the population.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Linguistics
  • Semantics

Background:

  • A significant portion of the population reports an aversion to specific words, such as 'moist'.
  • The underlying causes of this word aversion are not well understood.
  • Previous hypotheses often focused on phonological aspects of words.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence and causes of word aversion.
  • To determine whether phonological or semantic features are responsible for negative word associations.
  • To explore demographic and personality correlates of word aversion.

Main Methods:

  • Conducted five experiments to assess word aversion prevalence and triggers.
  • Utilized semantic association tasks and word valence/arousal ratings.
  • Analyzed individual difference measures including age, education, and neuroticism.

Main Results:

  • Approximately 10-20% of the population exhibits aversion to the word 'moist'.
  • Semantic features, particularly associations with bodily functions, were identified as the primary cause of aversion, rather than phonological properties.
  • Word aversion was more common in younger, more educated, more neurotic individuals, and females.

Conclusions:

  • Word aversion is a prevalent phenomenon driven primarily by semantic associations with negative concepts.
  • Phonological characteristics are less influential in causing word aversion compared to semantic content.
  • Understanding these factors can inform psychological and linguistic research on word perception and emotional responses.

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