Words have different meaning for different people.  Some people hate curse words.  Other people can't stop using them.  But why would such an innocent word like 'moist' be so hated?

Science thinks they have it figured out.

According to a study published on PLOS One, it has to do with three things:  the sound of the word, the word's connotation, and the social transmission of the idea that the word is disgusting.

The study was done by Paul Thibodeau, a cognitive psychologist from Oberlin College, In it, he explains that people who have the most aversion to 'moist' also had an aversion to words that had to do with bodily functions (like phlegm, vomit and puke), words that related to sex (I don't think you need examples of these), and words that sounded similar to moist (hoist, joist, rejoice).

The problem with moist is that it can be associated with all three.  It is the trifecta of words that people hate.

The social perception of the word adds to how disgusting people think it is.

This is where I'm different.  When I think of the word moist, I think of cake.  So to me...moist is a positive word.

What do you think?  Does the word moist send a chill down your spine?  What is the most cringeworthy word that you can think of?

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