I saw the following headline on Gizmodo earlier this week:
Which Sounds Are the Most Annoying to Humans?
and my first thought was the following clip from Dumb and Dumber:
Surprisingly, that sound did not make it into the article.
Gizmodo reached out to a number of sound-experts to find out what the most annoying sound might be.
One of the answers at first surprised me, but after I thought about it, I had to agree that it is the most annoying sound.
But before I reveal that sound, let me share what a couple other sound experts offered:
- chalkboard scraping. that is one that came to my mind, and just thinking of it sometimes sends shivers up my spine.
- sounds that get in the way of whatever youβre trying to do. For example, you might be trying to work from home, and your neighbor is outside using his drill. What makes such sounds even more annoying is one’s lack of control over such sounds.
And now for the big reveal.
Dr. Tjeerd Andringa, Associate professor of Auditory Cognition at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, claims that the most annoying sound to humans is the sound of vomiting because it elicits a visceral response.
That’s not one I would have thought of, and I’m not sure if I would classify it as annoying or disgusting, but it certainly is just about the most unpleasant sound I can think of, perhaps because it triggers almost the same reaction in the person hearing it.
So I think the next time I want to annoy someone, I’ll just play a clip of someone throwing up.
But I’ll be sure to have earplugs in, and to be several feet away…
That is very annoying. Especially if you’re a cook, and they just ate one of your meals.
Other annoying sounds that I’d put on the list: A dentist’s drill, the laughter of shrill women, and a car that won’t start.
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But if they are vomiting your meal then at least it means that they survived it. π
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I guess it’s like an airplane landing. Any meal you can walk away from is a good recipe.
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Haha!
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I like the low standard…
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always the optimist…
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I’d agree about the dentist drill – it’s actually frightening. And a car that won’t start – doesn’t that mean a day off from work?
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Or it means you’re stuck at work, and need a ride home.
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true, there is that possibility…
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Someone crunching on an apple or chips can drive me crazy!
Whining was probably the most annoying sound my children ever made!
The low battery chirping sound in your smoke detector at 2am!
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yes, a beeping smoke alarm can be quite annoying!
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Especially when you can’t tell exactly which one it is! Our dogs would agree about it being the most annoying sound. They run to the door wanting to be left out.
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smart dogs – they know what that sound might mean…
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I would not classify that as annoying either. The most annoying sound is the one that disturbs my peace or concentration.
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I think your suggestion is more in line with what I think of as annoying; it disrupts what you are trying to do…
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I wouldn’t consider vomiting an “annoying sound,” although it is pretty disgusting. I’ve got two that drive my wife nuts: 1. When I pick at my nails. 2. When I’m spitting sunflower seeds. Maybe it’s just things I do.π€£
I’m pretty fussy when it comes to reading and sleeping. I have to have the quietest environment. Mosquitos and flies get on my nerves.
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It is definitely just things you do Pete!
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π
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I’d agree that vomiting falls more into the disgusting category. Do you ever combine biting your fingernails with spitting them like sunflower seeds? I also like it quiet when I am trying to read…
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I wouldn’t want to send her over the edge. π€£
There were these moments when I was teaching when I’d stop and assess all of the activity going on in the room. There could sometimes be five or more active projects at one time with lots of excited voices. In the middle of all of the chaos, I’d look over, and there’d be a child 100% engaged in his reading. It was striking about the power of a book.
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I always enjoy seeing people completely absorbed in a book, especially a child…
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one sound that makes me jump out of bed and awaken in terror, is the sound of my cat about to choke up a hair ball or vomit. I can move at lightning speed to move the cat out of the room, it’s unbelievable .
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Fortunately, I have never had to deal with such a situation. But the way you describe it makes it sound horrible!
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ask any cat owner, that familiar sound strikes terror in their hearts! fortunately now, rarely hear it with olive and rose, so happy for that
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is it something cats outgrow? or are olive and rose immune to uch things?
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some cats, with longer hair might suffer from it more frequently, or those who eat things they probably shouldn’t have. these two are short haired and pretty tame little lions.
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lucky you!
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I think we may be crossing the definitions of annoying and visceral. The fingernails on chalkboard scenario is a good example of visceral. If it is interrupting your train of thought or drowning out something else you are trying to hear, that sound could also be annoying. But for most people, regardless of the timing or interruption, it will draw a shrinking response and that is visceral. The same would apply to vomiting, I think. When we look at annoying, it has little to do with the sound itself and everything to do with its timing. Sticking to that definition, I think any sound could find its way on the annoying list, based simply on its timing. As for visceral, one of the most visceral sounds we can hear is the crying of a child. We are hard wired to respond to this sound in a autonomic and tangible way. As for annoying, the top of my list currently is a co-worker who sits at their desk and belches, albeit quietly, all day. So much so that I truly worry that have an unresolved medical issue.
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great description of the difference between visceral and annoying. I think a couple of the sound experts in the article went more with the visceral, while one person took your approach and focused on what is truly annoying, which is more situation specific.
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One of the more truly annoying sounds is the vuvuzela that were a constant noise during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Kazoos also get on my nerves after a while.
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I’m not a big soccer fan, but that sound is annoying on television. I can imagine how much worse it would be in person. I wonder if others somehow tune that out. My wife will leave the room if I’m watching basketball because of the sound of the squeaky shoes. Until she pointed it out, I’ve never noticed.
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funny – I enjoy the sounds of sneakers during a basketball game!
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I remember those vuvuzelas; at first they were kind of fun, but then after a while, the sound was definitely annoying…
It seems like you don’t instruments with weird names… π
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I should add accordion to the list of annoying instruments just to break up the pattern π
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I love an accordion!
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All I can think of now are sounds that make me want to puke like good music playing on the tinny speaker of a cellphone. Guess that combination would become a double-puke whammy.
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yes, good music is meant to be played on good speakers!
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For me, the most annoying sound is when someone is leaning over my shoulder to see something on my computer, while chewing on something. Can’t stand it.
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I can just picture that – that is quite annoying!
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There should be a special place in here for NPR hosts who talk down to their guests. Love that.
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hmmm…. I don’t listen to NPR, but that does sound quote annoying, and obnoxious…
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I happened to be driving during the inauguration, so I turned on NPR. For about a week and a half it would come on when I started the car. It takes me about 15 seconds to hook up the bluetooth and switch to a podcast. I got so sick of hearing their voices for that 15 seconds that I tuned to a station that’s mostly static. I found it quite soothing.
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sometimes white noise is exactly what you need…
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Yep.
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For me the most annoying sound is someone tapping their nails on something. The sound is annoying but it also makes me feel that the person is bored or waiting for me to hurry.
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and they are succeeding in getting under your skin π
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Yup!!
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For my money itβs the oscillating saw. Very similar to the Dumb & Dumber sound but even more piercing! π
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hmmm…. not sure I know the sound, but I’ll take your word for it. Hopefully you don’t have to deal with it too often…
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Eating sounds..crunching and slurping …if you are eating crisps near me then suck them or leave the room…
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I think a couple of other people have mentioned this one as well – suggesting this may be the most annoying sound to humans! π
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You just don’t know how much…haha
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hopefully nobody close to you does this… π
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Oh on purpose and with a smile…haha…
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ahhh…. I see π
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My timing was amazingly imperfect. I just finished dinner, but so far the coast is clear . . . quiet!
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π
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