Annoying: The Science of What Bugs Us

"Remarkable: a charming and insightful book that explains how studying what annoys you can make you both less annoyed and less annoying. I feel better already!"—Chris Anderson, author of The Long Tail and Free

"Who would have thought that one of the most charming, graceful, and informative books to come around in a long while is Annoying? You might have been told you are what you eat, but it is your annoyances that really define you. With cutting-edge science, wit, and an eye for a good story, Palca and Lichtman reveal the recent discoveries that tell us of the age-old problem of annoyance. Their book will forever change your view of the restaurant patron who loudly recounts his colonoscopy results over a cell phone."—Neil Shubin, author of Your Inner Fish

"The science of the annoying? I was skeptical. But this book really delivers. In many chapters I saw myself and thought, 'Yeah, I understand, that is exactly how I feel.' Trouble is, now, with understanding, my tolerance for the annoying has plummeted."—Carol Greider, Director of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2009

"Annoying is smart, funny, insightful, and downright wonderful to read. Joe Palca and Flora Lichtman not only illuminate the science of annoyance itself but the often lunatic nature of daily life in the twenty-first century. Read it—the only annoying thing about it is that it's too short."—Deborah Blum, author of The Poisoner's Handbook

"It's rare to encounter a book that could launch a new scientific subdiscipline. Annoying may do just that. Palca and Lichtman survey thinking in psychology, philosophy, and neuroscience, intermixing research with anecdotes, insights, and theories, to examine the scientifically neglected subject of annoyances. This book is a fascinating read for anyone who has ever wondered why minor irritations can drive us to distraction. Ironically, this book about fingernails on chalkboards is a pleasure to read."—Daniel Simons, coauthor of The Invisible Gorilla

"Unlike the stuff we do on NPR, Joe Palca's reporting is based on insight, knowledge, intellectual curiosity, research, and facts. But don't let that turn you off!"—Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers

It happens everywhere?offices, schools, even your own backyard. Plus, seemingly anything can trigger it?cell phones, sirens, bad music, constant distractions, your boss, or even your spouse. We all know certain things get under our skin. Can science explain why? Palca and Lichtman take you on a scientific quest through psychology, evolutionary biology, anthropology, and other disciplines to uncover the truth about being annoyed. What is the recipe for annoyance? For starters, it should be temporary, unpleasant, and unpredictable, like a boring meeting or mosquito bites

• Gives fascinating, surprising explanations for why people react the way they do to everything from chili peppers to fingernails on a blackboard
• Explains why irrational behavior (like tearing your hair out in traffic) is connected to worthwhile behavior (like staying on task)
• Includes tips for identifying your own irritating habits!

How often can you say you're happily reading a really Annoying book? The insights are fascinating, the exploration is fun, and the knowledge you gain, if you act like you know everything, can be really annoying.

In Annoying, NPR Science Correspondent Joe Palca and Science Friday's Flora Lichtman dig through the scientific literature in search of explanations for what gets under our skin.

In this widely ranging scientific tour, you'll meet researchers who have made strides in understanding why some things tick us off. You'll find out why people blabbing on cell phones is so irritating and why you can't help but tune in. You will learn the secrets of trash talk and how athletes overcome it, or don't. You'll hear about an illness that makes people annoyed to the point of dysfunction and visit a tiny island where no one seems to be annoyed. You'll discover why chili peppers stand on the cusp between pleasant and painful, why odor is so powerful and how skunks have taken advantage, why raw onion fumes make us cry, and why some chemicals have been irritating life on Earth for half a billion years. The science is there. You just have to know where to look.

And yes, there is a recipe for annoying others. Although most of us know how to do this intuitively, Palca and Lichtman provide a clear, easy-to-follow, step-by-step process for annoying almost anyone. One: find something that your victim finds unpleasant and distracting. Two: make it hard to predict when the unpleasantness and distraction will end. Three: make it impossible to ignore. While you may have been born knowing the recipe, the conclusions scientists are able to draw from it will surprise you.

It turns out that your inability to ignore that cell phone call is a good thing, tearing out your hair in a traffic jam could just be a positive personality trait, and understanding what annoys you gives you the tools to overcome your annoyance—sort of. It also gives you some insight into how to become less annoying yourself, and wouldn't that be a blessing?

So, the next time you're ready to strangle that coworker who keeps tapping his pen against his teeth, don't lose your cool. Pull out your copy of Annoying, place it on his desk, and tell him what an interesting book it is. When he puts his pen down to pick up the book, swipe the pen.

It happens everywhere?offices, schools, even your own backyard. Plus, seemingly anything can trigger it?cell phones, sirens, bad music, constant distractions, your boss, or even your spouse. We all know certain things get under our skin. Can science explain why? Palca and Lichtman take you on a scientific quest through psychology, evolutionary biology, anthropology, and other disciplines to uncover the truth about being annoyed. What is the recipe for annoyance? For starters, it should be temporary, unpleasant, and unpredictable, like a boring meeting or mosquito bites

• Gives fascinating, surprising explanations for why people react the way they do to everything from chili peppers to fingernails on a blackboard
• Explains why irrational behavior (like tearing your hair out in traffic) is connected to worthwhile behavior (like staying on task)
• Includes tips for identifying your own irritating habits!

How often can you say you're happily reading a really Annoying book? The insights are fascinating, the exploration is fun, and the knowledge you gain, if you act like you know everything, can be really annoying.

Flora Lichtman is the multimedia editor for Science Friday.

Introduction: Cell Phones.

1 A Noise Annoys.

2 A Case of Mistaken Intensity.

3 Fingernails on a Chalkboard.

4 Skunked.

5 Bugged by Bugs An Epic Bugging”

6 Who Moved Their Cheese?

7 The Terror of Perfect Pitch.

8 Dissonant.

9 Breaking the Rules.

10 He’s Just Not That Annoyed by You.

11 Better Late Than Never Doesn’t Apply Here.

12 When Your Mind Becomes a Foreign Country.

13 The Annoyed Brain.

14 False Alarms.

Conclusion.

Acknowledgments.

Notes.

Index.