The next time you find yourself sighing in annoyance at your colleagues' inability to munch their crisps quietly, take solace in the fact that this could mean you are a genius.

A study from Northwestern University suggests that the inability to filter out competing sensory 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 cork to block out noise whilst he worked.

Lead author of the study Darya Zabelina said: "The propensity to filter out 'irrelevant' 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."

Do crunchy crisps drive you mad? Credit: Rob Wilkinson / Alamy

The study analysed 100 participants who were asked to provide as many answers as they could to several unlikely scenarios within a limited amount of time. Participants were then asked to take a "Creative Achievement Questionnaire" where they reported their creative achievements across 10 verticals, 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.

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