Hey, they did a study.
Psychologist Paul Thibodeau and three colleagues decided that it was time to take a closer look at the word “moist,” writing:
The word “moist” … has been the subject of a Facebook page (called “I HATE the word MOIST”) with over 3,000 followers and was rated as the least liked word in the English language by a Mississippi State Poll … ; feature articles have been written in Slate Magazine … and The New Yorker … ; and popular TV shows like“How I Met Your Mother” (“Stuff”) and “The New Girl” (“Birthday”) have devoted entire plot-lines to the comic consequences of word aversion.
Now it’s not just anecdotal. Thibodeau found that between 13 and 21% of people have an aversion to the word.
But why?
Is it just a gross-sounding word? If so, then people who hate moist should also hate foist and rejoiced. Verdict: No. Hating the sound moist is independent of one’s appreciation for words that rhyme.
Is it because it makes people think of sex? Verdict: Yes! Priming people to think of sex versus, say, cake, makes people dislike the word more. Bonus: People who scored higher on a measure of disgust for bodily functions were more likely than those who scored lower to claim an aversion to the word.
So, if you don’t like the word moist, get your mind out of the gutter. And, if your aversion is severely hampering your life, just think about cake!
Lisa Wade, PhD is an Associate Professor at Tulane University. She is the author of American Hookup, a book about college sexual culture; a textbook about gender; and a forthcoming introductory text: Terrible Magnificent Sociology. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Comments 30
John George — July 1, 2015
Sweat, oozing sores, sputum, a leaky sphincter--these are all moist, but the disgust comes from an association with sex? Someone needs to tell almost every advertising and marketing expert on the planet that they have been trying to push the wrong buttons!
OK. Seriously...it probably does relate to sex, but specifically to the image of a woman's vagina during sex. More "proof" that society hates women? I doubt it. That image when layered onto something distinct and separate from sex, because of how vividly we picture sexual images, creates cognitive dissonance. And most people find that distressing, even if they can't put their finger on it (no pun intended).
Michele Lantz — July 1, 2015
How about we just think about moist cake?
AnyBeth — July 1, 2015
I wonder if/how it varies by region. There are different pronunciations (and those three words don't rhyme for everyone), and there may well be differences in culture that influence the words usage and so how it's judged.
I grew up in rainy southern Appalachia. For me and my family, "moist" evokes pleasant feelings, chiefly concerning nature and initially air. See, out there whenever the air was judged to be too dry, people would talk of "low humidity". Whenever the level of water vapor was considered oppressive, it was either "humid" if too hot or "damp" if too cold. Whenever the level of water vapor felt just right, then it was "moist". And anywhere there's a pleasant mist, first you feel and smell the moist air, the "moisture" (a childhood folk-etymology). Then you'd have the moist air in the moist forest atop the moist soil. We use plenty of words for wetness and muckiness. "Moist" generally meant the ideal case, something like "just the right amount of wetness that's not too slippery/slimy". Bodily functions being moist would never have occurred to me.
Louise Bradley — July 2, 2015
I haven't seen this hate for moist on facebook can you show me where it is like share it with every one. I don't see anything wrong with this word moist, it can mean a lot of things a moist cake, moist make up etc.
John — July 2, 2015
I'm curious to see the gender devide about the hatred of this word. I've met a lot of women who've hated the word, but never a single man.
Personally, the only thing I can think of when someone says the word moist is cake. I mean, how else are you supposed to describe the good qualities of cake? Dewy and fluffy?
H.C. — July 6, 2015
I, too, have no problem with the word moist. As far downer words go, the top of my list would be flaccid.
Nectarines — July 17, 2015
Moist makes me think of the Canadian alt-rock band from the 90s -
Nessa — January 1, 2016
Clarissa Pinkola Estes uses it to describe earthiness and authenticity, sharing yourself intimately with life. I like it a lot, it's very real.
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