Why everyone is all of a sudden getting the ‘chicken ick’

Have you ever been eating and enjoying chicken and then suddenly become overwhelmed with a feeling of disgust? It might be the 'chicken ick'.

People all over my TikTok For You Page have detailed how they've randomly gone off foods they usually love, with chicken being one of the biggest culprits.

Other popular foodie contenders that have given people the 'ick' include eggs, avocado, yogurt, and bananas.

Taking to social media, one X user wrote: "Got the chicken ick midway cooking my lunch, but I'm going to be so brave and strong and eat it anyways."

While a second penned: "Getting the chicken ick halfway through your meal," and a third wrote: "There’s nothing worse than the chicken ick".

It turns out, there's actually some interesting psychology behind why this strange phenomenon happens to us so often - and the good news is there are ways you can get over it.

The 'chicken ick' has become a viral phenomenon - have you experienced it? (Getty Stock Image)

Psychologist Lorenzo Stafford wrote in The Conversation: "When it comes to the 'ick,' it’s all about how we deal with our disgust response. There are a number of reasons why you might suddenly become 'weird' about a food that you used to be fine with."

The first reason is that there's a change in the way the food is presented, for example, if your chicken tasted, smelled, or looked different than it did other times.

"This can lead to a mismatch in what’s expected, which can cause your feelings towards that food to suddenly change," Stafford explained.

Similarly, similar feelings of disgust can emerge if you prepared the food in a different way, such as adding a new ingredient that changed the 'smell or flavour profile'.

The psychologist outlined that sometimes, it can have nothing to do with the chicken in front of you at all, but instead, what you were doing before making the meal.

"If you were scrolling on social media looking at unappetising meals before starting to cook your own meal, this can influence the way you subsequently feel about your own food," Stafford wrote.

Even if someone watching you cook expresses disgust, such as making a face, psychology says you can subconsciously mirror this. Mind-blowing right?

The way you prepared the food, how hungry you are, and even your gender can all play a part (Getty Stock Image)

Finally, how you're feeling in that moment also plays a part - research has shown that if you're really hungry, you're less likely to find something disgusting, and the same applies when you've drunk alcohol.

So, this would explain why we love a greasy kebab and chips on a night out, but not so much when we're sober.

Even gender can be factored in, as Stafford highlighted an interesting study that shows women have a 'higher sensitivity' to disgust than men.

How to get over the 'chicken ick'

So, if you find yourself taken down by the dreaded 'chicken ick,' the psychologist has outlined two things that might make you feel better.

You can try preparing your chicken differently next time or have someone else cook for you.

The way you're feeling might be linked to the specific way the food was made, or it might be the texture or look of handling raw meat that's putting you off.

If this all fails, it could mean that you’ve formed a 'negative association' with the food, which you need to 'unlearn'.

Stafford suggests pairing food with something positive, such as a favourite food or listening to your favourite music while eating your meal.

Good luck!

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