If One’s Annoyed By People’s Chewing, They May Be A Genius

Oh, that annoying noise coming from people’s slurping, smacking, chewing… Sometimes, people even hate going to the movies because they feel annoyed about people eating popcorn, precisely, the noise they make while chewing.

Or people avoid eating with their family because some of them just like to chew with their mouth open. If this describes you, do not worry. This is a condition called misophonia which is an increased sensitivity to some noises.

About 20% of people have this condition, while the other 80% do not even notice the noises. And, the people who do not notice the sounds may think this is strange, or you are just acting out. However, that is not so bad. (1)

There is good news hiding behind misophonia. According to scientists from the University of Northwestern, people who have heightened sensitivity to certain sounds are more creative than others. (2)

So, yes, you may be a genius. The more irritated you feel when you hear people chewing or smacking, the bigger genius you are. Feeling better, right?

The Connection of Misophonia to Creativity

A researcher of the Northern University conducted a survey of 100 participants. They were supposed to give responses to rare situations, and they had limited time. The researchers observed the reaction of the participants to many noises.

Afterward, before the researchers got a conclusion, they asked the participants to answer a Creative Achievement Questionnaire.

The study revealed that there was a link between participants who gave the most creative answer and those that were highly sensitive to noises. In fact, participants who were mostly annoyed by the noises, hot the highest scores on the tests that measured creativity. (3)

According to the study’s lead researcher, Darya Zabelina, people’s inclination to get rid of the irritable noises helps them bring in ideas out of their focus, which causes creativity.

Also, an interesting fact is that famous creative geniuses such as Anton Chekhov, Charles Darwin, and Marcel Proust were highly sensitive to background sounds.

Marcel Proust even covered his bedroom with a cork only not to listen to noises during work. One of the most popular and influential novelists during the previous century, Franz Kafka reported that he needed to be alone, even like a “dead man” to be able to write.

Well, when you feel irritated the next time you hear someone producing disturbing sounds while eating, remember that you are more creative and even smarter than them.

How to Deal with Noisy Eaters

Not everyone possesses good manners, so there are many people who chew with an open mouth. Anyway, if this annoys you, then, you need to learn how to deal with it. You cannot make people change their way of eating only because it disturbs you.

Many people with misophonia got help from Pawel Jastreboff. He taught them to connect the good and positive experiences with irritating sounds, and the negative emotions gradually lowered. (4)

The methods of Jastreboff are effective 80% of the time. So, you do not have to use earphones or stay away from the dinner table while someone is chewing.