Another anecdote: I was much less bothered by thunder (admittedly, I was distressed rather than panicked) when I found out that there were people who made a hobby of recording thunder. This caused me to listen to it rather than just be upset by the loud noise.
Hmmm... I've got an irrational loathing of piped music. Any suggestions?
Here's the new thread for posting quotes, with the usual rules: