The ‘ick’ factor – why some liquids feel gross

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-11-26 11:01

International

PHOTO: Liana S on Unsplash

Gooey liquids that cling to the skin feel most unpleasant when we touch them, but slipperiness makes little difference, according to a new overseas study. In a previous experiment, 19 people stuck their finger into honey or hand-cream, or into mixtures of these liquids with water, glycerine or starch, and rated how disgusting or nice they felt. Now, the same researchers have analysed the physical properties of these liquids – how viscous (gooey) or slippery they are – to understand what exactly makes us think ‘yuck!’. The researchers say that this could help us design products, like cosmetics and food, that feel nicer to touch.

Media release

From: The Royal Society

Gooey stuff - the psychophysics of unpleasantness in response to touching liquids

Our sense of touch shapes how we experience everyday materials, but what makes a liquid feel unpleasant? This study explored how measurable physical liquid properties relate to how people perceive and feel about them. The results showed that the force needed to pull the finger away - how much the liquid clings to the skin - was the main source of unpleasantness. Slipperiness, surprisingly, didn’t influence pleasantness much. These findings show how the physics of touch shape our emotional reactions to liquid materials and could help design better-feeling products, from cosmetics and foods to realistic touch in virtual systems.

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Journal/
conference: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany

Funder: This study was supported by the German Research Foundation DFG‑project no. 502774891‑ORAproject ‘UNTOUCH’ and DFG project no. 466754480 as well as the Volkswagen Foundation.

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