Adults are twice as likely to make errors in math problems with the sound of whining in the background versus that of a saw.Getty Images/iStockphoto/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Whining is one of the world's most irritating sounds, as any parent knows. Now there's a study to prove it.
As a noise that drives adults to distraction, the whining of a child tops the screaming of a table saw and the cloying sound of a caregiver's high-pitched baby talk, Reuters reports.
Whining is so distracting, in fact, that adults are twice as likely to make errors in math problems with the sound of whining in the background versus that of a saw, according to the study, published in the Journal of Social, Evolutionary, and Cultural Psychology.
Researchers set out to determine whether humans are evolved to be more attuned to the plaintive cadences of a demanding toddler than to other annoying sounds.
Study volunteers did math problems while listening to various noises through headphones. The error rate with the whining soundtrack was highest whether the listener was male or female, parent or not.
"You're basically doing less work and doing it worse when you're listening to the whines," study co-author Rosemarie Sokol Chang told MSNBC.com.
Whining - a stage that starts between the ages of 2 and 4 - gets attention by tapping into an "auditory sensitivity" shared by all humans, researchers concluded.
Unfortunately, some people never grow out of the phase. Consider the Merriam-Webster definition of whining:
1. Give or make a long, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
2. Complain in a feeble or petulant way
Parenting experts suggest responding to a whining child with "I statements," such as, "I don't like it when you whine," followed by modelling how to communicate without griping and snivelling.
But good luck trying that with grown-up whiners in store lineups or at the office.
How do you deal with whining - by kids or adults?