Why is the sound of nails against a chalkboard so irritating?
Ever wonder why the sound of nails against a chalkboard is so irritating ? Well, we here at Philosophy and Science ponder the age old question everyday, so we decided to tackle the question.
Researchers at Macromedia University of Applied Sciences in Germany have found that the noise has the same frequency as the sound of a crying baby and a human scream, which may show that these sounds are linked to survival. The sounds cause panic in the human brain, and say, the sooner the sound of a crying baby is addressed, the better chance for that infants survival. Researchers also pointed out that the shape of our ear canals may have evolved to amplify frequencies important for communication and survival.
The findings of a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience in 2012 found that screeching sounds trigger communication in the region of the brain involved in emotions. Other research as shown that the the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard is similar to that of a chimpanzees warning call and causes an unconscious reflex. One thing is for sure; the sound sure is annoying!
