What sounds irritate a person? Why are sounds annoying? The most unpleasant sounds for a person

Nobody likes to listen to others chewing their food with their mouths open. But in most cases, slurping sounds only irritate very hungry people. For everyone else, a chewing neighbor causes minor discomfort.

What is misophonia?

However, there are people who become furious at any noise. They experience not just irritation, but a real disgust for sounds. Misophonia, or selective sound sensitivity, is a neurological disorder caused by negative experiences. Thus, upon hearing the cry of a baby or the noise of an open water tap, a person immediately begins to experience a deep, painful feeling of discomfort, anger and rage. Even the most ordinary sounds can make a situation extremely tense. We're talking about breathing, chewing, or cracking fingers—these are common misophonia triggers.

Factor responsible for the disorder

According to early research in this area, scientists attributed selective sound sensitivity to both obsessive-compulsive disorder and a personality trait. However, new scientific evidence suggests that past attempts to explain misophonia may be wrong. The real culprit for this phenomenon may be a special structure of the brain.

Progress of the experiment

For the study, scientists led by Sukhbinder Kumar, a neuroscientist at Newcastle University, recruited 42 volunteers. Approximately half of the subjects had a strong form of misophonia, the remaining participants formed the control group. During the experiment, volunteers were forced to put up with various noises, including neutral ones, such as a human scream or breathing. At the same time, the researchers recorded symptoms of distress, both physical and behavioral. Brain activity was measured using a magnetic resonance imaging machine.

Conclusions

The only significant difference between the two groups of subjects was in response to noise. Thus, the neutral sound of breathing did not produce any response in the brains of participants in the control group, but it did produce changes in the brains of those suffering from selective sound sensitivity. This came as no surprise to researchers, since breathing is a known trigger for misophonia. As a result, physical changes in the behavior of the subjects were identified, and a curious reaction of the brain was also recorded.

Brain reaction

The sounds increased the response in the anterior insular cortex, an area that plays a significant role when we talk about the spread of attention. When the main group of volunteers were exposed to trigger sounds, the anterior insular cortex not only showed greater activity, but also showed abnormally high levels of connectivity to other areas of the brain. The anterior insular cortex is associated with areas that are responsible for regulating emotions, memory, and memories.

The result of excessive attention

In other words, misophonia may be the result of inappropriate, excessive attention. The human brain deliberately focuses attention on the things that other people do. This concentration causes a more emotional reaction in the focal points.

“At the very time when I am working on this material, the issue is being delivered - and behind my back the designers are discussing the intricacies of the layout, and at the next table a colleague is talking with the chief editor. Concentrating in such conditions is simply unthinkable! But this happens every month. I endured it for a year, and then I realized that this would not change, and recently I bought headphones with large “ears” so as not to disturb others. Now I’m writing while listening to Bach. Honestly, I would prefer complete silence, but since this is impossible, then between excited voices and “Musical Offering” I choose the latter.”

A conversation between fellow travelers on the subway, a dog barking outside the window, a party at a neighboring dacha - all this instantly infuriates 36-year-old Lyubov. “I feel extremely irritated,” she admits. “This noise consumes my thoughts, everything else seems to cease to exist for me, and only this sound torture remains.”

I have heightened hearing. Different people perceive sounds differently. Some of us will walk past a working jackhammer without wincing, while others will shudder at the slam of a closing door. “Some people have acute hearing,” explains otolaryngologist Elena Fedotova. – This phenomenon is called hyperacusis, or increased hearing acuity. Their inner ear is more developed than others. But sounds can cause severe discomfort, irritate and even cause pain to those who, on the contrary, have impaired hearing.”

I feel defenseless.“A sound that we “didn’t order” can be involuntarily perceived as an invasion of our internal territory, as a threat to our peace of mind or way of life, explains family psychologist Inna Shifanova. “It triggers our physiological flight-or-fight response.” Pulse and breathing quicken, muscles involuntarily tense, and sweating increases. Our attention is focused on the source of danger - this is also part of our instinctive program, which is why it is so difficult for us to be distracted from this sound.” If at the same time we can neither escape nor fight, then we experience this situation as a state of complete helplessness. It intensifies if sounds cause unpleasant associations. “We are especially bothered by those that we associate with a value system that is alien to us,” says psychotherapist and neuroscientist Beatrice Milletre. Thus, an elderly person will most likely have difficulty withstanding the rap music that his grandson listens to. The grandson may be annoyed by the recording of Ruslanova’s songs. According to the psychotherapist, this trend is generally characteristic of our era: “We live in a society that is developing in an individualistic direction much more strongly than ever before. Everyone believes that the world should adapt to them.”

I'm letting off steam. “When we are, it’s hard to piss us off and we don’t even notice many interferences,” reminds Inna Shifanova. “However, if we are tired, upset or have difficulty achieving internal balance, an extraneous sound can unsettle us. And the irritation that we experience about this absorbs the energy of our dissatisfaction with everything else.” The paradox is that this same situation gives us a chance to regain confidence in ourselves - by expressing our anger or doing something to protect ourselves from unwanted noise.

What to do?

Visit an otolaryngologist

“Increased sensitivity to noise can be a symptom of incipient deafness,” warns Elena Fedotova. She advises getting tested and also emphasizes the importance of taking care of your hearing: “Music that’s too loud, or working in constant high-level noise can damage the inner ear, and it doesn’t recover.” As you know, prevention is better than cure.

Think over protection

“Try to create the right sound environment for yourself, change it depending on your mood and moment,” suggests Beatrice Milletre. “Pick up pleasant music, put on a CD with nature sounds, use double-glazed windows and even earplugs.”

Consider the context

“We react to the situation as a whole, and not just to a specific stimulus,” emphasizes Inna Shifanova. – The howling of a car alarm under the windows will irritate you much more if you have just moved into this apartment and found a lot of shortcomings in it than if you have lived there for a long time and, in addition, sympathize with the neighbor who owns the car. Treat your irritation as a reason to analyze the situation and think about what and how to change for the better.”

The ringing of the alarm clock hurts my head, and my morning begins with it. The sound of a hot arrow pierces my head. We need to get up.

Who invented these alarm clocks?

I got rid of the kettle with a whistle a long time ago, although the whistle still had benefits. All household appliances seem to have been invented in order to harass with their noise; the hum and rumble they make cause irritation and anger.

The city is gradually waking up and the range of sounds coming from the street is becoming wider. A painful day of work lies ahead. The road to work becomes a challenge. The noise of cars passing by, the sharp sounds of horns, the howl of sirens, the sickeningly loud conversations of passers-by. I just want to cover my ears and run away, where there are no painful sounds cutting my ears. It seems that there is no hiding from the noise, no escape.

Where are my headphones?

Evening is an anticipation of silence. Silence is my salvation, the salvation of my ears and my head, tired during the day. The degree of sound tension gradually subsides, the world around calms down. The desired and much needed calm comes.

Why do loud noises irritate me so much?

For a long time I tried to understand why exactly I perceive the noise of the world around me so painfully. Why have headphones become a daily necessity?

What's wrong with me?

Trying to get used to it, listening to calm music, remembering something from childhood, changing the environment, reading mantras, calming down - I couldn’t.

My every day was like sound hell until the moment I became acquainted with the system-vector psychology of Yuri Burlan.

Hidden in the unconscious

In silence it is easier for them to concentrate, but for a person with realized properties of the sound vector, noise is by no means a hindrance. All brilliant composers are carriers of the sound vector.

But with incomplete implementation, the sound vector manifests itself negatively, including painful hearing. Often these are unconscious consequences of childhood psychotrauma and psychosexual developmental delays.

“Silence mode” is necessary from birth; it is the key to the successful development of a child with a sound vector. Loud screams, especially the mother's scream, have a traumatic effect on the psyche of any baby. And the hypersensitive hearing of the sound player causes unbearable pain. Sounds from outside become a constant source of suffering. It is from this pain that they hide behind their headphones.

The article was written using materials

Ecology of life. Science and Discovery: There are several reasons for the way we perceive sound - evolutionary, physiological and cultural. Let's try to figure it all out.

People are irritated by different sounds. Some people can’t stand slurping or noisy breathing, others can’t stand snoring, crunching fingers or squeaking foam. At the same time, some sounds are not just annoying, but also cause real strong emotional reactions - anger, anger, fear, disgust.

Evolution

Studies have shown that people perceive sounds of a certain frequency as unpleasant. Human hearing is especially receptive to sounds in the range from 2000 to 5000 Hz. In this interval there are many sounds that make many people feel uneasy - the creaking of foam plastic, the scratching of a knife on a plate, screams.

The way we perceive sounds in this range was ingrained in us by evolution thousands of years ago. The hearing aid helped detect danger much faster than other senses, so people still subconsciously react sharply to sounds that resemble the screams of predators or the creaking of their claws. The unpleasant sensations we are experiencing now and the desire to hide are the instinct of self-preservation inherent in primitive man. We did not get rid of it because man as a species ceased to depend on living nature quite recently - from the point of view of evolution.

Hyperacusis

Hyperacusis is a disorder of the hearing system, due to which sounds cause a disproportionate response of perception, are felt painfully, louder and more unpleasant than they really are. However, the sounds themselves do not necessarily have to be too loud, unpleasant or annoying.

Hyperacusis can be a symptom of a serious neurological disease. In addition, it can be caused by certain diseases of the inner ear, head injuries, infections, and tumors.

Misophonia

Hyperacusis is a disease of the organs of our body that affects the perception of sounds. Another disorder that changes the response to certain sounds is misophonia , a neurological disease.

Misophonia is sometimes called selective sound sensitivity. For people suffering from this disorder, for example, the squeaking of nails on glass causes not just irritation, but also a whole range of reactions - from anxiety to a burst of rage or a panic attack. The name of the disorder literally translates as “hatred of sounds.”

In general, this disease has not yet been studied enough, so there are many hypotheses about its origin and treatment. Misophonia may be a reaction to previous (negative) experiences associated with certain sounds. In this case, trigger sounds can cause a completely disproportionate reaction: the sound of chewing - a flash of rage, the cry of a child - panic, and so on. Misophonia may be one of the signs of post-traumatic neurosis, the real source and causes of which a person may have already forgotten.

Misophonia can also be a symptom of a larger medical condition - for example, there are research , the authors of which tried to connect misophonia with obsessive-compulsive disorders or even describe it as a type of OCD.

Another interesting hypothesis describes misophonia as a brain abnormality, the result of atypical connections between the auditory cortex, which processes sound, and the limbic system, which is responsible, in particular, for the formation of emotions.

To test this theory, a sample of people with misophonia were asked to listen to different sounds: neutral sounds, such as rain, generally unpleasant sounds (screaming), and sounds that participants found unpleasant (the crunch of a bag, the rumble of a subway car, etc.). During the experiment, tomograms of the brain were taken.

Study showed that in people with misophonia, the insular cortex, which (among other things) mediates the interaction between physical sensations and emotions, works differently. Trigger sounds cause “overload” - too strong an emotional reaction. According to this theory, misophonia can be inherited.

Culture

Unpleasant sounds are also an interesting cultural phenomenon.

For example, a sound that is annoying in everyday life can cause a completely different reaction in an experimental jazz composition or at a concert of modern academic music.

There were similar studies too. Two groups of subjects were given the same sounds of chalk squeaking on a blackboard. The first group was told what the sounds were, and the second group was told that they were part of a musical composition. Physiological reactions to sounds were the same, but the assessment of what the subjects themselves heard was different - those who allegedly listened to music appreciated experience is higher.

« Noise " is one of the genres of industrial music and a frequent guest in other musical genres. Noise is an unwanted and unpleasant sound by definition. Therefore, noise in music is simultaneously a legacy of the industrial revolution, a cultural challenge, and a “purified sound,” proto-sounds that exist beyond the confines of “academic” harmonics. published If you have any questions on this topic, ask them to the experts and readers of our project.

Hello! I am very glad that I accidentally found this site, I think that only a psychologist can help me. I myself never expected that I would suddenly turn to a psychologist about this.
I'm 16. You know, recently I've become especially irritated by extraneous sounds. Moreover, recently this problem has become especially acute. Maybe because nothing had ever distracted me before, but recently my grandmother’s hearing has become worse and she constantly keeps the TV on at full volume, constantly on the phone, talking loudly. At first I didn’t attach any importance to this. But lately it’s somehow especially noticeable; I’m distracted by almost any extraneous sounds (not the sounds themselves, but words and phrases). It would seem that the psychologist’s concern is worthless, but I just can’t concentrate on anything! The first time I realized that I was starting to turn into a not entirely normal person was at the end of last school year, when I was trying to get caught up in studying for exams and could not concentrate. Although I passed everything much better than I expected, I am still absolutely sure that my irritability is very, very much hindering me. What to do? How to get rid of this? I tried to talk to myself. Listen to music more often too. Talk to friends more too. I even tried to keep a diary, in which I decided to write down all my impressions of annoying sounds, then reread them and laugh at myself. None of this helps! Maybe you can recommend something? I will be very grateful!

Hello, Katya! Of course, increased sounds can disturb you and this is quite natural - after all, you are preparing for exams, studying and you now need concentration, and it cannot be achieved due to the situation around you - and you begin to get irritated, angry and already scared of your condition and this state is already is fixed at the reflex level - i.e. as a conditioned reflex to loud sounds - loud sound - irritation! and on the other hand, perhaps this is connected with your loved ones (maybe your grandmother) and perhaps you are initially annoyed not by the sounds, but by the fact that a loved one does not think about what causes discomfort to others and, accordingly, to you, and this is simply offensive, and all the resentment results in such a reaction! Do you accept your grandmother? have you tried to resolve the problem? talk to your parents? tell your condition and perhaps voice your feelings? (after all, if she has problems with hearing, then you can help her - there are also hearing aids) - so you first need to understand the source of your irritation - is it just sounds, or someone or an attitude towards you? and based on this, solve the problem! If you have any questions, please contact us!

Katya, important points 1) that this is connected with her grandmother 2) that it’s “not the sounds themselves as such, but the words and phrases” that irritate (which ones? about what? about whom?) 3) “I tried to get away with my head” - to drown or something ? after such experiments on oneself, it is not surprising that the perception of life will change... 4) “I tried to talk to myself” - it is clear that it is nice to talk with an intelligent person, but most likely there is something else... 5) “I tried to start a diary, in which I decided to write down all my impressions of annoying sounds, then re-read and laugh at yourself". It's a good idea to keep a diary, but why suddenly... do they laugh at themselves? To hide pain, fear, anxiety?

Naturally, it is important to deal with the underlying motives in person! Contact us if you need help.

Katya, good afternoon.

Irritation with sounds is a superficial reason. There is some deeper irritation hidden here, not at all at the sounds. For my grandmother, for myself, or for some other PEOPLE - I can only guess for now, but I need to find out together with you in consultation. It’s just that “irritation with sounds” is such a small problem, quite innocent and does not offend or offend anyone, which, at first glance, can be resolved simply by asking a psychologist virtually or reading something and that’s all. “A conflict with my grandmother” is more serious, it requires a lot of effort to resolve, but “I annoy myself,” not accepting my feelings and desires is a thing that is difficult to admit.

Hello, Katya.

Are you annoyed by sounds or the louder life of GRANDMOTHER? Perhaps the source of your irritation lies in the sphere of your relationship with her? Perhaps it has become more difficult for you to communicate with her and you miss her?

What you describe as “not worth the psychologist’s concern,” to me says that you are not very serious about what is preventing you from living a full life. A psychologist is a specialist who is hired to help solve a problem that a person cannot cope with on his own. You've tried a lot and can't cope. This means that asking for help is quite appropriate.

If you decide, come to the reception, we will sort it out.

Sincerely,