tl;dr, because it looks like I rambled: I agree, here are some possible underlying causes, people have different perceptions of the material world, people respond poorly to certain types of criticism, and the aging population suffers from this x10000. I am a poor editor, but I mean well.

I'm not sure if that is a generally interesting factoid so much as it is interesting as an anecdote; that said, I happen to have a lot of similarly anecdotal support for your observations.

Let's say I take medication for "ADHD-PI". If I am being 100% honest, I might change the diagnosis to "easily bored; requires interesting work and regular novelty; try meditation prior to stimulant exposure" . In any case, the meds work, at least they keep me focused for the duration of a particularly tedious task, and allows me to function in normal society with a modicum of normalcy. However, most of the medications Rx'd for ADHD are stimulants, and they are the real deal. Dexedrine and Adderall/Vyvanse are both chemically equivalent to amphetamine sulphate that one might purchase illicitly; they just come in measured doses, from a pharmacy, are legal, and have different fillers/binders and ratio of levo vs dextro isomers contained. Technically, Vyvanse is a pro-drug of dextroamphetamine, converted in vivo at a roughly constant rate. So it's just a new way of doing an XR formulation of speed. Also a new patent to feed off of a drug that's been around forever. The other stimulants commonly prescribed are not amphetamines, but the end result (elevated dopamine and norepinephrine, primarily)- amps are potent DA/NE agonists, while the -phenidate family (Ritalin/Concerta, etc) blocks the reuptake of those catecholamines. There are other drug classes, but they are not in the same ballpark, efficacy-wise. (And this applies to just about any healthy individual fed a mild dose of a powerful stimulant, no diagnosis or disorder required).

Reeling myself back in, sorry - (not on meds, tend to get parenthetical and non-linear as they wear off).

So, I noticed the same thing you write about with regard to a sudden change in atmospheric sensitivity. I cannot stand to be in an overheated room, or a room without at least a hint of movement in the air. I have also noticed that other people don't seem to care quite as much, or even notice. This makes a lot of sense when you consider the effects of stimulants that flood your brain with chemicals with such intimate ties to one's alertness, attentiveness, and other such qualities of vigilance. They also tend to increase your heart rate, BP (usually minor), sweat production (sweaty skin is hyper-sensitive to air flow), and body temp. On meds, I literally (in the traditional sense) run a little hotter than unmedicated co-workers.

And, yeah, people can get defensive about the air quality of their space, whether it's the house or whatever. I try to be sensitive, maybe ask if I could crack a window (hint, hint), but some individuals take these things personally; as if you were commmenting on their breath, BO, or child-rearing capability. It's just human nature, I think.

I have spent extensive time working with dementia sufferers, and some of them were NOT OK with any open/unlocked doors or windows. And the houses/rooms they life in are filled with this thick, gluey, slimy "air". I would call it unlivable. They would (if still verbally and cognitively able) call it "normal" or "pleasant". I used to do food drops for meals on wheels in downtown Portland, and I saw the same scene in SRO's throughout the city center and Old Town. For some, who were still mentally intact, the closed windows were an issue of hypervigilance due to past experiences in the past, or because they can cut down on street noise by minimizing sound transmission.

I hope this at least supports your assertion re: "habitual tic" vs. materialist/physiological explanations. It is usually a bit of both. For some, it's a deeply rooted habitual behavior, for others it is a manifestation of psychological/neurological/physiological changes associated with aging in general, whether or not the individual is healthy.

Context for my observations include caring for dementia patients in close quarters, at length, exhaustive research, regular meetings with the Alzheimer's Association (donate! please! I guarantee someone close to you is burdened with incipient senescence, or caring for a family member who has symptoms), weekly conversations with a respected gerontologist, and, as mentioned, the ADHD experience, and the pharmacological element that can accompany it.

As mentioned earlier, it might just be a human trait to take offense at lifestyle criticism, or the perception thereof. I think it is one of those things that transcends cultural, national, racial, gender, whatever differences we have from one another. I am supposed to be really sensitive to this stuff, to have an above average self-awareness when it comes to these issues... But I still get a little pissed when I feel slighted or looked down upon, like someone just farted in the general direction of my ancestors. Alas.

Sorry for the rambling post, but nice to look at quirk I don't hear much about. updated because I don't post, and my formatting was way off.