Rocky Road: Why It Sounds So Dang Delicious

<p>Rocky Road is just a <em>good</em> name for an ice cream flavor. So good, in fact, that two ice cream institutions have dueling claims to Rocky Road’s invention. It’s a story of alleged confessions and a whole lot of ice cream-fueled drama. If it were just the flavor that made Rocky Road so special, every company could have just made their own concoction of nuts, chocolate, and marshmallows, named it “Muddy Street” or “Pebble Lane,” and called it a day. But there’s a linguistic reason why Rocky Road just sounds so dang delicious—and it’s studied by linguists and marketers alike.</p> <div class="embedded-image" style="max-width: 800px;"><img class="mcePuppyImage" src="https://media.wnyc.org/i/800/534/l/80/2020/07/fentons-creamery-oakland.jpg" alt=""> <div class="image-metadata"> <div class="image-caption">Fenton's Creamery in Oakland, California, one of the institutions that lays claim to inventing Rocky Road.</div> <div class="image-credit">(Wikimedia Commons)</div> </div> </div> <p> </p> <hr> <p><span> </span></p> <p><span>In this episode, we mention the Bouba Kiki Effect. Imagine two shapes: One is a pointy, jagged polygon, the other an ameboid-like splotch. Which shape would you name “Bouba,” and which would you name “Kiki?” In study after study, 90% of people agree—the pointy shape is “Kiki” and the rounded shape is “Bouba.” This so-called “Bouba-Kiki Effect” holds in many languages, and has even been demonstrated with toddlers. But why the near-universal agreement? Cognitive psychologists like Kelly McCormick have several theories. Watch this Science Friday video to learn more. </span></p> <p><span><div class="user-embedded-video"><div id="videoplayer_idm140203343314816f163d562-e7ca-4624-8e40-38d19a506260"><iframe width="620" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rQX1ax96l7Y?wmode=transparent&amp;autohide=1&amp;rel=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allo