Annoying: The Science of What Bugs Us - Hardcover

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.

"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