Photo: Thinkstock
Most people agree on what one of the worst sounds in the world is: the high-pitched screech of fingernails scratching against a blackboard. But did you know that part of what makes this sound annoying is seeing or knowing that said sound is from that source?
According to an article in Wired, a study conducted by musicologists Michael Oehler of the Macromedia University for Media and Communication (Cologne, Germany) and Christoph Reuter of the University of Vienna showed that people who were subject to this high-pitched screech found it less annoying when they were not told that the sound came from nails on a blackboard; the psychological sight of that image in our minds is what makes it unbearably worse.
Photo: Visuals Unlimited/Corbis
So the next time someone scratches up their nails on a blackboard, try closing your eyes and thinking of something else before covering your ears.
Tags: Ear, Exercise & Fitness, Hearing, Life
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