Is whining the world's most annoying sound?

I knew it! Whining is the most annoying sound on the planet — and now there is scientific evidence to back it up.

According to a new study in this month’s Journal of Social, Evolutionary and Cultural Psychology (what, you don’t you subscribe?), whining was more annoying and distracting to test subjects than other classically obnoxious sounds like a table saw or adults speaking baby talk.

The research measured the amount of distraction and errors made during simple math calculations by test subjects exposed to background noise. Whining won as the most distracting.

Perhaps this is why I have been known to shout things such as “I can’t even hear myself think” or “Do not whine about it again. I mean it. Do. Not. Whine.”

I don’t know why whining is the coping mechanism of choice for preschoolers, but we have attempted to adopt a strict no-whining policy in our home. This doesn’t actually mean that our preschool-age daughter doesn’t whine. In fact, roughly every other sentence is in some form of whine or variation of a whine in C minor.

What the policy means is that we do not respond to whining. Much like the no-negotiating with terrorist policy of the White House, we try not to reward or even acknowledge whining. Sometimes, though, we can’t help mocking the whining with a very snappy version of “Slow Whine,” sung to the tune of Foghat’s classic “Slow Ride.” My daughter will appreciate our humor one day — I just know it.

My daughter usually gets the hint and cuts out the whine. Sometimes she pushes things until we remove her to timeout to whine as long and loud as she’d like. When she’s done, she’s happily welcomed back to our whine-free zone.

I’m glad to have the research on my side today, backing up my efforts to free the air in our home of the toxic whine. Perhaps next time my daughter whines I will put on some buzz saw medleys to calm everyone down.

How do you handle whining in your home? Do you find it as annoying as I (and now science) do?

Erin Stewart is a regular blogger for Deseret News. From stretch marks to the latest news for moms, Stewart discusses it all while her 4-year-old daughter crams Mr. Potato Head pieces in her little sister’s nose.