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In their book Annoying: The Science of What Bugs Us, Joe Palca and Flora Lichtman said a very interesting thing. There isn't a single scientific field devoted to the topic of being annoyed. But plenty of scholars and researchers have analyzed the subject, meaning if such a topic were to exist, it would be multidisciplinary.
The authors also said that it's really difficult to come up with a universal formula for what is annoying. After all, not every inconvenience or trouble is so terribly unpleasant. At least not when experienced one at a time. Rather, they claim, it is when these things are repetitive and unpredictable that they get under our skin.
Think of it this way. A loud bang, coming from an apartment above us might take us by surprise, heck, it can even frighten us, but it won't instantly become annoying. But our neighbor's loud music played over and over and over, and over again, is very annoying.
Interestingly, we can train ourselves not to get annoyed. Have you ever noticed that childfree people get more impatient with a crying or misbehaving kid than parents do? Michael R. Cunningham, a psychologist at the University of Louisville, told The Boston Globe, "You can leave the environment, you can change the environment, or you can do something inside yourself to change your reaction." That could mean changing behaviors, for example, doing deep breathing, counting to 10, or taking a walk every time you're stressed out. It could also mean deliberately changing your thoughts about the situation - deciding, for instance, to view it as quirky instead of annoying.
So if your dad's nail picking really frustrates you, maybe just spend more time with the old man you brat?
