Featured Image Credit: Alamy/ITV
Topics: Sex and Relationships, Life
Daisy Phillipson
The dreaded ‘ick’ - most of us will have encountered it at one point or another, and for many it marks the beginning of the end for their relationship.
While the cause of this phenomenon is a deeply personal experience, a dating expert has revealed how to come back from ‘the ick’ no matter what your situation.
But first, let’s take a look at a few statistics courtesy of female care brand WooWoo, who surveyed over 2,000 UK adults about the viral term.
They discovered that a whopping 66 percent of adults admitted ‘the ick’ spelt the end of their relationship, with 26 percent saying it was most likely to happen in the first month of dating and 23 percent at the one-year point.
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When it came to the reason why they experienced it, the top three turn-offs cited by both men and women include a partner’s personal hygiene such as body odour, lack of washing or a messy house.
Then there’s a person’s banter, including bad or inappropriate jokes or boring conversation, and their bad habits such as nose picking and snorting.
We’re a fussy bunch, eh?
If you don’t want to let small traits like this ruin your present and future relationships, thankfully dating expert and TV presenter Anna Williamson is on hand to offer her top tips on how to work through ‘the ick’.
“There’s nothing worse than meeting that special someone and then suddenly seeing them begin to pull away,” she told WooWoo.
“If the ick does start to kick in its far better to deal with it quickly by communicating.
“If you don’t like the way they leave their socks on the floor, tell them. If they’re personal hygiene isn’t as great as you’d like – have fun with it! Take them into the shower, get intimate and wash each other.
“You can use this as an ice breaker to talk about their hygiene and what you do and don’t like.
“Most importantly, be honest and kind to your partner. You never know, you might have some habits they’re not keen on either.”
Anna concluded by saying that building a relationship on trust, especially during the early days, will give you a much better chance of surviving those more significant hurdles down the line.
So as awkward as it might be telling your SO to stop with their bad habits, it’s far better to be upfront rather than breaking up with them for picking their nose.