Week in Insights: Figuring Out How to Quiet the Noise

I’ve been sensitive to noises since I was a small child. Not all noises—only certain ones, such as open-mouthed chewing, water slurping, or (now, in the 21st century) loud typing or audible breathing on computer calls.

For the longest time, I didn’t understand why certain sounds spurred outsize feelings of anxiety, frustration, and even physical reactions—it’s much more severe than typical annoyance. I didn’t know anyone else who’d had these same experiences, and I was mocked or dismissed more than once for it.

But several years ago, I learned there was a name for what I’d thought was just a ...