<blockquote>
<p>English and German speakers lack a single accessible linguistic label for the pattern of aversive reactions termed by Spanish speaking individuals as ‘grima’, whereas the elicitors of other emotions were accessible and accurately identified by German, English, as well as Spanish speakers (<a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00131" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Gallo, et al. 2017</a>).</p>
</blockquote>
<p>If we English speaking people adopt the word from Spanish, just as we have adopted words from many languages over the centuries, the response you are referring to is called <em>Grima</em>, pronounced phonetically as <em>gree-mah</em> (see: <a href="https://www.spanishdict.com/pronunciation/grima" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.spanishdict.com/pronunciation/grima</a>).</p>
<p>If you are experiencing this as a result of more than the usual causes of grima, you would alternatively be suffering from a degree of <em>Misophonia</em> (<a href="https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.04.05.21254951" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Swedo, et al. 2021</a>).</p>
<p>Also, alternatively, an abnormally strong reaction to sound, occurring within the auditory pathways, in levels that would not trouble a normal individual is called <em>hyperacusis</em>, whereas an actual <strong>fear</strong> of any sounds is <em>phonophobia</em> (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3216140/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Asha'ari, et al. 2010</a>).</p>
<h2>References</h2>
<p>Asha'ari, Z. A., Mat Zain, N., &amp; Razali, A. (2010). Phonophobia and hyperacusis: practical points from a case report. <em>The Malaysian journal of medical sciences, 17</em>(1), 49–51. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3216140/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3216140/</a></p>
<p>Schweiger Gallo, I., Fernández-Dols, J. M., Gollwitzer, P. M., &amp; Keil, A. (2017). Grima: A Distinct Emotion Concept?. <em>Frontiers in psychology, 8</em>, 131. <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00131" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00131</a></p>
<p>Swedo, S., Baguley, D. M., Denys, D., Dixon, L. J., Erfanian, M., Fioretti, A., ... &amp; Raver, S. M. (2021). A consensus definition of misophonia: using a delphi process to reach expert agreement. <em>medRxiv</em>. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.04.05.21254951" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.04.05.21254951</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-23T05:56:07.163Z
2022-09-23T05:56:07.163Z
Chris Rogers
<p>Everyone is familiar with the squirmy, muscle-clenching response to hearing nails on a chalkboard. But I have known people to have this same response to other stimuli, such as:</p>
<ul>
<li>Velvety fabrics</li>
<li>Styrofoam</li>
<li>Nails on a zip</li>
</ul>
<p>Interestingly, it's not just the sound but even the <em>thought</em> of these things that can provoke a reaction.</p>
<p>To the best of my knowledge, this is not a phobia, nor is it an allergy. So, is there a name for this response, and are there any known cases of it having been treated?</p>
<p>--</p>
<p><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://psychology.stackexchange.com/questions/4236/why-is-the-sound-of-fingernails-on-a-chalkboard-so-intolerable">Why is the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard so intolerable?</a></p>

<sensation><evolution><phobia><psychoacoustics>
What is the "nails on a chalkboard" response?
Dan
# What is the "nails on a chalkboard" response?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-09-21)

Everyone is familiar with the squirmy, muscle-clenching response to hearing nails on a chalkboard. But I have known people to have this same response to other stimuli, such as:

* Velvety fabrics
* Styrofoam
* Nails on a zip

Interestingly, it's not just the sound but even the *thought* of these things that can provoke a reaction.

To the best of my knowledge, this is not a phobia, nor is it an allergy. So, is there a name for this response, and are there any known cases of it having been treated?

--

**Related:** [Why is the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard so intolerable?](https://psychology.stackexchange.com/questions/4236/why-is-the-sound-of-fingernails-on-a-chalkboard-so-intolerable)

**Tags:** sensation, evolution, phobia, psychoacoustics


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2022-09-23. Score: 3

> English and German speakers lack a single accessible linguistic label for the pattern of aversive reactions termed by Spanish speaking individuals as ‘grima’, whereas the elicitors of other emotions were accessible and accurately identified by German, English, as well as Spanish speakers ([Gallo, et al. 2017](https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00131)).

If we English speaking people adopt the word from Spanish, just as we have adopted words from many languages over the centuries, the response you are referring to is called *Grima*, pronounced phonetically as *gree-mah* (see: <https://www.spanishdict.com/pronunciation/grima>).

If you are experiencing this as a result of more than the usual causes of grima, you would alternatively be suffering from a degree of *Misophonia* ([Swedo, et al. 2021](https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.04.05.21254951)).

Also, alternatively, an abnormally strong reaction to sound, occurring within the auditory pathways, in levels that would not trouble a normal individual is called *hyperacusis*, whereas an actual **fear** of any sounds is *phonophobia* ([Asha'ari, et al. 2010](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3216140/)).

## References

Asha'ari, Z. A., Mat Zain, N., & Razali, A. (2010). Phonophobia and hyperacusis: practical points from a case report. *The Malaysian journal of medical sciences, 17*(1), 49–51. <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3216140/>

Schweiger Gallo, I., Fernández-Dols, J. M., Gollwitzer, P. M., & Keil, A. (2017). Grima: A Distinct Emotion Concept?. *Frontiers in psychology, 8*, 131. <https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00131>

Swedo, S., Baguley, D. M., Denys, D., Dixon, L. J., Erfanian, M., Fioretti, A., ... & Raver, S. M. (2021). A consensus definition of misophonia: using a delphi process to reach expert agreement. *medRxiv*. <https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.04.05.21254951>


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