You might have Misophonia. It's not normal to be extremely irritated by sounds other people make.
The "normal" state is to be able to tune those out.
The "normal" state is to be able to tune those out.
Normally people are conscious about the sounds they make and restrict them a bit. If you're coughing in a group, you try to do it softly, or you leave the room. Things like that. When people wear head phones this kind of subconscious self control seems to be a lot less effective.
I'm certainly not the only one to have made this observation.
That’s aside from tapping I might not realize is making noise with headphones on, or a particular motion in my chair that’s making it squeak and I don’t know it because headphones, et c.