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Comment by EngManagerIsMe | Hacker News Reader

I have a strong, strong, flight or fight aversion to the sounds of people eating with their mouth open. Like, measurably increases my heartrate, adrenaline spike.

It's not rational, it's not something I have control over. It's something I deal with and largely have built techniques to try and lower the stress of.

I'm aware this is fundamentally a "your brain is wired different" issue, and so I'm never sure what the etiquette should be on asking others to chew with the mouths closed.

Many cultures don't have any concerns around slurping/chewing with mouth open, so meal times in mixed company are often quite hard for me. Add on the stress of trying to figure out whether I should even mention something (and make everyone else uncomfortable) is bonus stress on top.

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> I have a strong, strong, flight or fight aversion to the sounds of people eating with their mouth open. Like, measurably increases my heartrate, adrenaline spike.

Same, except I can feel hatred bubbling up from the pit of my soul.

Also, when people talk and you hear their tongue moving around, touching the saliva coated interior of their mouths. The old people in Ken Burns' WWII documentary were the worst about it.

When you work in a hospital, encounters with staff that manage airways often cracked me up.

Any gross noises from the patients and they attack the patient with suction and then watch with satisfaction as the phlegm/saliva fill the transparent suction tube.

Same.

This drives me insane to the point of internal anger and disgust, but there's litte I can do about it. Nobody else gets it when I politely ask. I just have to bear the pain.

I'm susceptible to a few types of sounds I loathe:

- food/eating/mouth noises

- off-key singing

- chalkboard scraping (I think most people have an aversion to this)

The strong feeling of displeasure for these sounds has been with me since a very young age and has never gone away.

Same but with snoring. If I can hear someone snoring I won't fall asleep due to irrational hatred towards that person.

The only exception to this rule is people who snore at hostels. I hate them rationally

Make it their problem and wake them up. No reason to suffer in silence.

I don't stay in hostels anymore but honestly don't understand this mindset "I'll spoil other's sleep to save a few dollars".

If someone reading my comment does this, please know that in every dorm there could be people fantasizing about your death

I had this issue show up suddenly, but atter the past 10 years or so it has gotten a bit better. I know longer am managing rage if I know the person is stuffed up or following their cultural norms.

I think it is very similar to road rage, which can normally be defused by communication or sympathy.

The worst for me is when people’s teeth bite down on silverware.

Its exactly how you described

Chewing with your mouth open is just bad manners. What are the uncivilized cultures that accept that?

Is this like one of those "some people go to Walmart in pyjamas" things? That honestly sounds ridiculous to me.

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