The next time you find yourself sighing in annoyance1 at your colleagues' inability to munch2 their crisps quietly, take solace3 in the fact that this could mean you are a genius.
下次再为同事嚼薯片声音太大而烦恼叹息时，你可以这样安慰自己：事实上，这意味着你可能是个天才。
A new study from Northwestern University suggests that the inability to filter out competing
sensory4 information is a common occurence in the creatively talented.
The study cites creative geniuses such as Charles Darwin, Anton Chekhov and novelist Marcel Proust, who notoriously wore ear-stoppers and lined his bedroom with
cork5 to block out noise whilst he worked.
Lead author of the study Darya Zabelina said: "The
propensity6 to filter out '
irrelevant7' sensory information....happens early and involuntarily in brain processing and may help people integrate ideas that are outside the focus of attention, leading to creativity in the real world."
The study analysed 100 participants who were asked to provide as many answers as they could to several unlikely
scenarios8 within a limited amount of time. Participants were then asked to take a "Creative Achievement Questionnaire" where they reported their creative achievements across 10
verticals9, including: visual arts, creative writing, scientific discovery and culinary arts.
Their answers revealed a strong link between those with the most creative answers and achievements and those sensitive to background noise whilst working.
收听单词发音 
