I’ve broken up with people because of the “ick.” You can’t help it. The second you see or hear them do something weird, like how they eat an ice cream cone or the way their feet dangled when they sat on a tall stool, it’s over. The ick cannot be reversed. It doesn’t do second chances. And if baby voice, sloppy texting, or a way-too-fast pet name shows up, consider the attraction dead on arrival.
A survey of 4,000 U.S. adults, called The Language of Love, conducted by Casino Guru, asked what romantic communication habits ruin attraction. The findings feel awfully familiar. Affection can be hot, sweet, or genuinely comforting. It can also sound like a grown adult doing a children’s cartoon voice and sending texts you have to decipher because the spelling is so bad.
At that point, it turns into something you endure.
Top romantic communication turnoffs (percent who reported a negative reaction):
- Baby voice: 66%
- Poor spelling or grammar in texts: 43%
- Pet names used too early: 37%
- Excessive teasing or constant sarcasm: 36%
- Sounding stiff, scripted, or robotic: 29%
- Overusing slang or text abbreviations: 28%
Pet names are risky because they assume closeness you haven’t built yet. One day you’re exchanging basic facts, the next day you’re “babe,” and your nervous system calls it. The same survey found that a majority consider early pet names a potential dealbreaker, and a big chunk would rather never use pet names at all.
Then we get to the heavyweight champs of “please don’t call me that.”
5 Most disliked pet names nationwide (percent who called it a turnoff):
- “Daddy”: 21%
- “Boo boo”: 19%
- “Boo”: 16%
- “Baby”: 14%
- “Bae”: 12%
The funny part is that “baby” can be beloved and hated, depending on the person and the relationship. That’s the whole issue. Words like these only work when they feel earned, mutual, and specific to the two people using them. Otherwise, you’re not flirting. You’re handing someone a reason to lose interest, and you won’t be able to talk them out of it.
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