Are relaxing and painful sounds/sound effects different for everyone? or am I just different? o.O

Question

I think most people hate the sound of nails on a chalkboard or the rubbing of a balloon.. and I think most people like the sound of rain. I was wondering if there is a name for the study of this? or any info at all about it?

I'm curious because the sounds I like/hate the most are different from what all my friends have said. While they hate nails on a chalkboard, I don't really mind it that much lol. It's certainly not pleasant, but it doesn't make me cringe or anything.

The sound of rain, yes I love that sound, but it's weird, the sound of someone doing something like turning pages in a magazine, or rustling something, even sound effects of someone handling a gun (picking up, loading, downloading, switching safety on and off, putting silencer on/taking off, etc) (in case you're wondering, sometimes people record long recordings of things like handling a gun, so a sound editor could pick out pieces of it, edit, and turn those into sound effects for a game or animated movie - this is where I came across these types of sound effects) and general rustling/handling sounds almost make me pass out... it's really weird. I almost want to fall asleep when I hear something like that given it's not actually loud.

As for sounds I can't stand - I can't stand scrubbing sounds. A big brush scrubbing against anything makes me cringe especially a dry surface producing a drier scratchy coarse sound, and the worst sound to me is something scrubbing a carpet, a brush, sponge, anything. It makes me react in the way that you'd think most people would react to nails on a chalkboard.

Is there any explanation or study about this kind of thing? Thanks.

Answer 1

Its not weird at all, and I've never heard of a study for it.

I for one, despise the sound of nails on a chalkboard. lol. But no it doesn't make me cringe. Crickets are another noise i cant stand. The sound of someone, breathing, chewing and tapping fingers. Relaxing sounds, such as rain, soft music and someone humming just keep me awake. And i detest scrubbing noises >:\

I love the sound of bubble wrap lol. Someone handling a gun(Like you.) I like the sound of popping knuckles, rain of course, typing on a keyboard, whistling, something frying in a pan, and the sound of my own sneezes.

Honestly, you're not weird. everyone is different, And studies are bogus. Placing people into catagories is just another way of controlling people. Everyone is different, though you may like the same things as other people. You will never like everything someone else does.