The trait that people find most unattractive is stranger than you think

We all have those peculiar things that give us the 'ICK' - the sound of chewing, incessant nail-picking, or maybe just an irrational aversion to the word "moist." But according to a recent Reddit post, there's a surprisingly common physical trait that's got people collectively cringing, and it's not your run-of-the-mill quirk.

Enter the weird world of side-mouth saliva, the surprising focal point of a "most unattractive physical quality" thread that exploded on the social media site. It turns out that the accumulation of foam or spittle in the corners of people's mouths is sending shivers down spines across the globe. And, surprisingly, it's not as rare as you might think.

"I had a math teacher who used to foam at the mouth," one group member started the discussion, "It wasn't rabies related, he just had foam build up on the corners of his mouth."

"My childhood orthodontist had this, it was creamy in colour and he wouldn’t wear a mask," another person chimed in, "I spent every appointment fearing for it dropping right in my mouth. Ugh, it curdles my stomach to think about."

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As the confessions rolled in, the communal trauma became apparent. Members pondered whether they shared the same maths teachers and dentists, creating an unintentional saliva support group for those scarred by side-mouth spittle stories.

For others, the mere mention of foamy-mouth was enough to trigger a global gag reflex.

"I couldn’t even read the rest of this I gagged so violently," admitted one brave reader, while another bluntly declared: "Not to sound petty, but for me no level of interest or attraction would survive this."

But it wasn't just confined to maths lessons and dental check-ups. "It was a 7th-grade science teacher for me," shared another victim. "I was disgusted and fascinated how this white foamy piece of spittle would travel from his top lip to his bottom lip and back and forth the entire class."

"I had a history teacher that was the same," another Redditor wrote. "We called him "Chalky" because the rumour was he ate the chalk."

What causes it though?

For those wondering about the science behind this phenomenon, some Redditors chimed in with insights.

"It's called cottonmouth," one person explained, while another added, "it's because they're dehydrated. Solution, drink water. Lots of water."

Other unattractive physical traits that featured heavily on the list were excessive nose hairs, bad body odour, spitting while talking and long toenails.

Gross.

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