Can’t Stand The Chewing of Others? That’s A Good Sign!

Some people can ignore it more, others less – the chewing of other people. That’s what it says about you when you can hardly stand it.

If your table neighbor noisily eats his pizza or a train seat neighbor chews chewing gum, this can push one or the other to his sensory limits. This can happen even if the person in question is sitting a bit further away and smacking his lips. Experts at Northwestern University have been investigating why some people respond more than others to chewing sounds.

Creative people feel disturbed by chewing

As part of the study with 84 test persons, the research team first carried out a creativity test. In order to measure creativity, the experts carried out a test to determine the participants’ different way of thinking. In addition, they had to assess their own creativity by means of a questionnaire.

The result: The test persons who were classified as particularly creative had problems with the sensory processing of information. The participants who thought differently, on the other hand, were better able to filter sensory information. In concrete terms, creative minds are less able to protect themselves from external stimuli such as chewing sounds – and therefore feel more disturbed. This is because they absorb more impressions outside the actual focus.