I suffer to the point that I threaten tea slurping colleges with pens. I have a theory about this which may only apply to me. The key observation is that a) the disproportionately intense heightening of the rage if the noise is done intentionally to annoy you. In fact, by reading the comments on this blog, I can almost feel my problem getting worse. In other words, noticing how angry it makes you makes it considerably worse and is actually the perpetuating force behind it.

The point is that the sound itself is not implicitly the cause of the rage but the association of someone else disturbing you by making it. This seems an oversimple, but by now every time I hear even a recorded or accidental slurp, there are so many levels of repressed rage sandwiched with indignancy that it triggers a reaction without there being any intent at all.

It would be interesting to know how many of the people on this wall have NOT had someone irritate them by making the noise on purpose or have NOT felt indignant that someone might be doing it on purpose.

The more I think about it the more complicated it seems. Maybe its incurable and I should just get a a tee-shirt explaining the risk to those who slurp within stabbing distance of me.