ALMOST half of people (42%) have a work colleague or friend who has driven them mad by making a sound whenever they are with them, a survey by Specsavers reveals.

The survey also found that a quarter of people (25%) hate the sound of people clicking their joints and almost a third (31%) say the sound they hate the most is people chewing. One in five (19%) get irritated by the sound of someone humming tunelessly and one in 10 cannot stand the sound of someone clicking their pen (10%) or whistling (9%).

It turns out that nearly one in five people suffer with misophonia – the hatred of certain sounds. It can often lead to extreme reactions such as anger or disgust, or even give people the urge to hurt the person making the noise or make them leave a situation.

These ‘trigger’ sounds are often made by other people and are usually focused on the mouth, throat or facial movements. Those who have the condition are often unable to tolerate family members, work, public and social situations. With many of us returning to the office and with social distancing measures continuing to relax, these triggering sounds may become more apparent than ever.

Gordon Harrison, Specsavers chief audiologist, says: ‘Misophonia is a condition that can cause extreme emotional or physiological reactions to certain noises such as chewing or breathing or actions such as clicking a pen or someone jigging their foot.

‘Those who have the disorder can feel uncomfortable, anxious, angry and emotionally distressed when they hear, or see, these triggers and it may even lead to them avoiding certain situations such as family dinners or going to a restaurant.

‘Misophonia doesn’t mean there is a problem with someone’s ears or hearing, rather research suggests that there could be an oversensitivity in the brain. It can have a big impact on someone’s life depending on the severity of their reactions but there are things people can do to help. Methods include sound therapy, counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy. Some people also find wearing headphones, Phonak hearing aids, or earplugs that emit a sound similar to a waterfall into the ear helpful in causing distraction. Stress management techniques such as regular exercise and getting enough sleep can also help.’

The nation’s least favourite sounds:

1. Car alarms that won’t turn off (45%)
2. Nails down a blackboard (41%)
3. Snoring (38%)
4. Dentist’s drill (37%)
5. Arguing (36%)
6. Music you hate (34%)
7. Other people chewing (31%)
8. Drilling (30%)
9. Knife scraping on crockery (29%)
10. A fire alarm (27%)
11. People clicking their joints (25%)
12. A motorbike racing by / Air horns (24%)
13. A baby crying/ hearing a party through the wall (23%)
14. Someone else’s music playing through their headphones
15. A cat coughing up a furball/ the alarm clock in the morning (20%)
16. A chainsaw/ someone humming tunelessly (19%)
17. A police siren (17%)
18. A traffic jam (16%)
19. Knife on a bottle/ fireworks (12%)
20. Your children shouting/ Clicking a pen/ an unexpected knock on the door (10%)
21. Hitting a rock with a spade while digging/ whistling/ foxes at night (9%)