What is misophonia?
Misophonia is defined as a decreased ability to tolerate specific sounds, as well as the things or people associated with those sounds (Swedo et al., 2022). Misophonia triggers are often repetitive noises in the environment that become intensely unpleasant and distressing. Often, these come from another person and are produced by the human body, but they can also include other repetitive noises.
Common triggers include:
- Eating sounds, such as chewing, lip smacking, crunching, swallowing, slurping, gagging, teeth clicking, or gum popping.
- Bodily sounds, such as breathing heavily or loudly, clearing the throat, sniffing, coughing, sneezing, yawning, joint cracking, or loud walking.
- Repetitive sounds in the environment, such as clicking a pen, typing, nail clipping, a clock ticking, rhythmic humming or buzzing from fluorescent lights or electrical appliances, or dripping water.
Exposure to these triggers evokes powerful negative emotions and intense physical discomfort. Reactions can include meltdowns, shutdowns, agitation, and angry outbursts.
The response does not depend on the loudness of the noise, but on the specific pattern of noises and the meaning it has for the person. People with misophonia often find it impossible to distract themselves from triggers, resulting in significant distress that continues to increase for as long as they cannot escape the noise.
Misophonia often develops in childhood or early adolescence, and the severity of the sensitivity can range from mild to severe. Misophonia can affect a person’s ability to socialise with friends and family, work, or study. Some people are aware that the intensity of their reaction may be disproportionate to the trigger, but this awareness does not reduce their distress or make it easier for them to manage their response.
Reference:
Swedo, S. E., Baguley, D. M., Denys, D., Dixon, L. J., Erfanian, M., Fioretti, A., Jastreboff, P. J., Kumar, S., Rosenthal, M. Z., Rouw, R., Schiller, D., Simner, J., Storch, E. A., Taylor, S., Werff, K. R. V., Altimus, C. M., & Raver, S. M. (2022). Consensus definition of misophonia: A Delphi study. Frontiers of Neuroscience, 16, 841816. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.841816