Chomp. Slurp. Snort: Sounds that drive some up the wall

Misophonia sufferers have strong emotional responses to certain sounds, usually if they come from someone they have a close relationship with. Photos: Christin Klose/dpa

Just about everyone shivers at the sound of a fingernail scraping across a blackboard or piece of chalk running against slate. And cringes innerly at the high-pitched hum of a dentist's drill.

But there are common sounds that hardly bother most people, if at all, yet drive others absolutely up the wall. The scientific name for this is misophonia, derived from the Greek for "hatred of sound".