The screechy sound of chalk on a blackboard is unpleasant because of the heightened activity between the emotional and auditory parts of our brain, research shows. A new study explains the interaction between the auditory cortex, the region of the brain that processes sound, and the amygdala, which is active in the processing of negative emotions when we hear those unpleasant sounds. Brain imaging has shown that when we hear an unpleasant noise the amygdala modulates the response of the auditory cortex, heightening activity and provoking our negative reaction.
