Why do we dislike certain noises?

Question

Such as nails on a chalkboard

Answer 1

You know your one of the few girls that actually make me have to think about an answer! The only thing I could find;

Back in 1986, a few scientists were curious about why the sound of fingernails on the chalkboard was so annoying. They did some research and published a paper called "Psycho acoustics of a Chilling Sound" (in Perception and Psycho physics, vol. 39, pages 77-80, 1986). In their study, 24 adults were tested to see how they rated the pleasantness and unpleasantness of certain sounds. The researchers duplicated the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard by scraping a "True Value Pacemaker" three-pronged garden tool over a slate surface.

Here are the sounds that the subjects ranked in order from the most pleasant to the most annoying:

Chimes
Spinning bicycle tire
Running water
Jingling keys
Pure tone
Pencil sharpener
Shaking metal parts
White noise
Compressed air
Blender motor
Dragged stool
Metal drawer being opened
Scraping wood
Scraping metal
Rubbing styrofoam together
Scraping slate with garden tool (the fingernail/chalkboard sound)

Rubbing styrofoam together was almost as annoying as scraping the slate. The researchers were surprised to find that when low frequencies of the unpleasant scraping sound were removed ("filtered out"), the unpleasantness of the sound was reduced. On the other hand, when the high frequencies of the unpleasant scraping sound were filtered out, no effect was observed. For some reason, the low frequency part of the scrape is what sends chills up your spine.

You may be thinking, "So what? Why should the sound of fingernails on the chalkboard be so annoying?". No one really knows the answer to this question. It is possible that there is some evolutionary significance to this type of sound. Apparently, the nail/chalkboard sound is very similar to the warning cry of some monkeys. The authors of the "Chilling Sound" paper suggested that it is possible, just possible, that the response to these annoying sounds is some "leftover" reflex from a common primate ancestor. This reflex may be built in to get our attention. It has even been suggested (in Medical Hypothesis, vol. 46, page 487, 1996) that our response to this harsh sound is a property of our inner ear leftover from a fish lateral line system. Maybe...maybe not. I do know a sound that is even more annoying than fingernails on a chalkboard...my alarm clock!

Answer 2

Maybe it's not the noise that bothers some people always? Sometimes people may just be reacting because other people have reacted and they want to follow the crowd? God Bless You and Keep On Fighting The Good Fight!

Answer 3

Some frequencies of sounds at high altitude stress to the maximum the system of hearing from the inner ear, especially because of the resonance phenomena I think (I mean the hammer, anvil and stair system) and this will stress to the maximum the membrane of hearing that has nerves on it...so it will hurt:)

Answer 4

That's a good question! I hate the sound a fork dragging across a dinner plate at a 90 degree angle! AWWWWWW! I don't know if it's the high pitch noise...John might be right.

Answer 5

Theres a definite intense frequency noise that drives me mad and makes my physique stressful. Worse is the whistling interior the process the nostril! Ooo makes me sense humorous in simple terms thinking approximately it.

Answer 6

we associate them with a negative episode in our life. also, for autistic children, noises like this can physically "hurt" their ears.

Answer 7

I think because we associate it with something that we are frightened of.

Answer 8

maybe because they:

annoy you
reminds you of something you fear or you hate.

Answer 9

ultrasonic vibrations hurt us.