Ask Wirecutter, an advice column written by Annemarie Conte, explores the best approaches to buying, using, and maintaining stuff.
Dear Wirecutter,
My spouse is the loudest chewer. There’s lip smacking and all sorts of mouth noises that drive me crazy. What can I do to help block out these annoying noises?
M.P.
Dear M.P.,
If you’ve been with someone long enough, something about them—often many things about them—will surely start to annoy you. And there’s basically two ways this can go.
- This thing about you drives me nuts, and you absolutely need to change it.
- This thing about you drives me nuts, and I’ve learned to live with it.
Your partner’s noisy indications that their meal is delicious are considered by some to be bad table manners. Could it be possible that they don’t realize what they’re doing? You might start by gently and kindly telling them, and make it clear you’re coming from a place of love and not criticism.
But if they already know—and if it’s settled that their clamorous chewing is here to stay—you may want to consider solutions to help quiet the noise for yourself.
If this is a problem you encounter more generally throughout life, it may be worth talking with your doctor. Noise sensitivity could be a symptom of misophonia, a disorder in which common noises cause intense emotional and physiological responses, or hyperacusis, a rare hearing disorder where sounds that others find normal feel excruciatingly loud to you.
We’re not here to dispense medical advice, so it’s always best to see a health provider if you suspect you are affected by either.
But we can offer advice to help combat noise sensitivity. Senior staff writer and audio expert Lauren Dragan has done extensive reporting on this issue.
Here’s Lauren:
