So, I’m just going to put this out there, the sound of chewing drives me absolutely crazy. It is not okay, I hate it, please close you mouth, I can. Not. Deal.
Okay okay, to some of you this might seem a bit over the top, and yes okay, we all gotta eat. But the sound of sloshing saliva and food mush around in one’s open gob is not pleasant, okay? There have even been times at dinner with flatmates/friends/family, that I’ve had to ditch my meal and run for the hills, or leave the table to eat in solitude just to get away from the noise. Yep, it’s THAT much of an issue.
I used to feel quite guilty about it because it can seem pretty rude when someone spontaneously leaps up from the dinner table without so much as an explanation. I get it. But thanks to science, I don’t feel quite as bad anymore. Why? It’s probably just because I’m a creative genius. No biggie.
A study from Northwestern University found that not being able to filter out ‘“irrelevant’ sensory information’ (i.e really annoying mouth noises) is a common thing among people who are creatively talented.
It went so far as to highlight that ‘creative geniuses’ like Charles Darwin and Anton Chekhov also weren’t a fan of background noises, which basically means we’re on the same wave length, right?
So, the next time you get pissed off at your college sat two desks down who can’t eat his lunch without irritating your ear drums, don’t sweat it, you’re not alone. Just join me in popping in your headphones and mentally planning the rest of your totally awesome life because you’re probs going to be mega rich and famous for being so damn gifted.
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Follow Jazmin on Twitter @JazKopotsha
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.