Tuesday 22 January 2013

Is this the most unpleasant sound in the world?

The ear-splitting screech of a knife on a glass bottle has been identified as the worst sound to the human ear by scientists who studied the brain's response to unpleasant noises.

Knife on a bottle is 'most unpleasant sound'

Uncomfortable noises activate the amygdala, a separate brain region which processes emotions Photo: REX

By Nick Collins, Science Correspondent

10:00PM BST 09 Oct 2012

64 Comments

People who listened to a series of 74 recordings while having their brain activity measured by an MRI scanner rated the sound of a fork on a glass as the second worst noise, followed by chalk on a blackboard.

The scans revealed that unpleasant sounds provoked a stronger response in the brain than pleasant ones such as the noise of blubbing water.

While sounds are processed in the brain's auditory cortex, uncomfortable noises activate the amygdala, a separate brain region which processes emotions.

When we hear sounds like nails on a blackboard – another of the worst-rated recordings – the amygdala takes charge of activity in the auditory cortex, making us more sensitive to the noise.

The researchers studied a group of 13 volunteers and found that sounds with a frequency of between 2,000 and 5,000 Hz, the range at which our ears are the most sensitive, were the hardest to bear.

Although it remains unclear why our ears are most sensitive to this type of sound, researchers noted that screams, which we naturally find uncomfortable, fall within the same range.

Dr Sukhbinder Kumar of Newcastle University, author of the study, which was published in the Journal of Neuroscience, said: "It appears there is something very primitive kicking in. It’s a possible distress signal from the amygdala to the auditory cortex."

His colleague Prof Tim Griffiths added: "This might be a new inroad into emotional disorders and disorders like tinnitus and migraine, in which there seems to be heightened perception of the unpleasant aspects of sounds.”

More from the web

Selected for you by our sponsor:

7 investment traps that could harm your wealth01 Dec 2012Hargreaves Lansdown
The online game that will reduce your fuel costs in moments31 Dec 1969Shell FuelSave
After a lifetime of illegal logging, 12 families learn lawful…31 Dec 1969Rainforest Realities
eBay swings axe at Paypal29 Oct 2012ChannelBiz UK
The Hottest New Parenting Finance Craze?25 Apr 2012LearnVest

[what's this]

What's this?

Hertfordshire: full of quintessential English villages 06 Dec 2012Strutt & Parker – commercial and residential property specialists - Telegraph

Driving Game Can Help Save You Fuel and Reduce Fuel Costs 31 Dec 1969Shell FuelSave

What's this?

Ads by Google

Ears ringing?
Get relief with new sound therapy. Call for a tinnitus evaluation.
www.cubex.co.uk
Relief from Tinnitus
Find out how this product can reduce & relieve Tinnitus symptoms
www.target-tinnitus.co.uk
Glass Balconies £372
Beautiful Steel & Glass Balconies. Buy direct from our factory.
www.julietbalcony.co.uk/glass

64 comments

Add a comment

Comment with a Telegraph account

Alternatively...

Comment with one of your accounts

Comments for this page are closed.

Showing 1-25 of 64 comments

Order by

Real-time updating is enabled.

tom100

10/26/2012 03:20 PM

My wife when she moans :)
Anuradha

10/26/2012 01:44 PM

Lady Gaga. Easily.
pwuk

10/26/2012 10:00 AM

I was ok with those, it's polystyrene I can't stand
blessyz

10/26/2012 07:51 AM

My gf's voice is the most annoying sound in the world
beatthebishop2

10/26/2012 06:47 AM

Apparently this is the most annoying sound in the world:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
fairguy

10/26/2012 06:39 AM

A child screaming in pain or fright.
mosey

10/14/2012 03:07 PM

Hey sceptredislefan, I can relate to the repetitive action thing. If I have my hand on my mouse for too long it makes me want to scream! Seriously! It's like all the nerve endings in my wrist and hand protest all at once!
mosey

10/14/2012 03:03 PM

Wow! The knife on the glass and nails on a blackboard gave me the chills. Still, I think they should add the sound of a young child throwing a temper tantrum in a nice restaurant to this list. Now THAT really gets to me!
mikeyp

10/14/2012 10:59 AM

It is a toss up between Ed Milliband's and Julia Gillard's voice!
Pulpstar -

10/14/2012 10:52 AM

Baloon scraping ><
Julian Williams

10/14/2012 06:30 AM

Any sound that comes out of the TV during The X Factor.
tinuviel

10/13/2012 09:06 PM

Try Rachel Burden on 5Live.
mysterytrain

10/12/2012 03:35 AM

They have examples 'knife on a bottle', ' ruler on a bottle'.
Since we are into a bottle theme here, how about ' Sloppy, drunken lips sucking on a bottle' -?
sceptredislefan

10/10/2012 04:50 PM

Tried all the sounds recorded here, even - bravely in my case - the nails down the blackboard... and no effect. I'm convinced there would be full effects of that "in real life", so that's another aspect to this weird research problem.

By the way, I'm subject to some other weirdnesses which, buoyed up by this international recognition for the nails on the blackboard phenomenon, and determined to find "allies"out there somewhere, I am deciding to write about here. I would be delighted to know if anybody else has any or all of these things.

So, here we go:
1) if I watch a helicopter on screen, I have to cover my eyes almost fully, as I somehow "feel" the blades are going to come out from the screen and hit me...

2) if I perform any of various repetitive or rather finicky actions requiring more complex hand-eye coordination, the effort of doing this creates some inexplicable and quite rapid buildup of uncomfortable "tension" inside me that quite soon reaches such a peak of some kind of tense, short-of-breath "frustration" feeling, that I simply have to stop performing the task, or "who knows what" would happen! I have not the slightest idea what that feeling is or what it signifies, but it is every bit as extremely and uncomfortably "distressing" as the (real-life) nail down the blackboard.

I don't think I'm actually as odd as these descriptions might suggest I am, and yet these particular - limited - spheres of my life seem to involve some kind of response extremely tangible to me.

Am I alone in this?
And were those things to more widespread what possible significance or survival value might they have?
mysterytrain

10/13/2012 02:46 AM

'' And were those things to more widespread what possible significance or survival value might they have? ''
A very significant survival value I'd say; with the senses so finely-tuned and with imagination, sex for you must be sensational!
In evolutionary terms,- this has huge survival-value.
compaid

10/10/2012 10:35 AM

Bjork gets it for me, any of her songs
FoolsGold

10/10/2012 07:41 AM

None of these bother me in the least. Worst sound ever is sound of somebody's fork scraping against their front teeth as they eat. Total torture. Also, sticky sounds from someone's mouth as they talk is pretty unpleasant.
mysterytrain

10/13/2012 02:41 AM

'Know what you mean. When some people eat crisps, (potato-chips) they make it sound like a heifer come through a dense thicket.
reespek_ma_knickers

10/10/2012 07:32 AM

Cheri Blair
avp1

10/10/2012 06:59 AM

Sir Alex Ferguson immediately after a Man U defeat.
cornedbeefmuncher

10/10/2012 06:57 AM

I hereby declare that Andrew Mitchell has been duly elected............
minesapint

10/10/2012 06:55 AM

Last orders bell.
mogulfield

10/10/2012 06:39 AM

The Archers' theme tune gets me screaming as I dive for the radio "off" button.
Ronin_Jim

10/10/2012 06:11 AM

Alan Carr interviewing Gok Wan... <shudder></shudder>
juliusmalema

10/10/2012 06:10 AM

Harriot Harman or PM of Australia is worst sound

blog comments powered by Disqus

Promotions »

Telegraph Offers
Follow Telegraph Offers on Twitter for the latest offers, competitions and promotions.
View
Wickes fitted kitchens
Win your dream fitted kitchen worth £20,000 including appliances and installation.
View
Contact Law
Connect with reputable local solicitors to help your business navigate the legal maze.
View
The France Show 2013
Enjoy cookery demos and wine tastings, visit a French market, browse thousands of properties.
View
Telegraph Offers
Become a fan of Telegraph Offers on Facebook for the latest offers, competitions and promotions.
View
Don't put up with high energy bills
Switch to a cheaper deal in minutes.
View
Ski rental with complete peace of mind
Find a ski rental in the greatest areas, have your order ready in advance and get up to 45% off.
View
Save up to 70% off holidays
To some of the world's most stunning destinations.
View
Making overseas payments?
Find out how to avoid high bank charges and get the best exchange rates.
View
Telegraph Shop: Winter Essentials
Be ready for the cold and snow - browse the Telegraph Shop.
View

Follow The Telegraph on Social Media »

Science Most Viewed

TODAY
PAST WEEK
PAST MONTH

TELEGRAPH JOBS »

Engineering
Courses
Education

Project Director ProD/epc/159/46
Saudi Arabia / South Africa £120k Full executive package, 25% bonus
Attract the ideal candidate
Advertise your vacancies with Telegraph Jobs.

Search for Engineering Jobs in the UK and overseas

Met Film School, Ealing Studios, London
Places available on BA Practical Filmmaking starting 18 Feb
We think and do things differently, do you?
Register for one of our Open Days & see how studying art, design & digital media can help you see things differently too

Find a course with Telegraph Courses

Prince2 certification training
Save an additional 5% on all courses with Simplilearn in January.
King Edward's School Bath
HMC independent co-educational day school from nursary to sixth form, founded 1552