Misophonia, literally "hatred of sound", is a condition where a person reacts unnaturally strong to specific sounds. The sounds are different from person to person, but most seem to be in relation to other people. Specifically sounds produced by the mouth seem to often be the cause. People chewing with their mouth open, breathing loudly or slurping food are very common trigger sounds for sufferers.
Misophonia isn't a recognised as a diagnosis, but more and more research in the condition is being done.
A small study had 42 people (20 sufferers and 22 non-sufferers), rate different sounds on how unpleasant they were. The sufferers rated common misophonia trigger sounds (chewing and breathing loudly) much higher than the non-sufferers. It was concluded that misophonia isn't just some people being overly sensitive.
More research is ongoing as to where the 'malfunction' is; it is currently assumed to be in the auditory centre of the brain, rather than having to do with the ears.
I have misophonia. Although I hate when people diagnose themselves without seeing a doctor, there are no official diagnostic criteria, when it comes to misophonia. The only indication of the condition is a burning hatred of one or more trigger sounds.
Personally, I can't stand repetitive sounds. People chewing loudly (not necessarily with their mouth open), people slurping drinks and consistent loud breathing are my main triggers.
I have also recently discovered that in some situations, coughing can be a trigger too. A coworker of mine kept coughing for hours on end, every few minutes or so. I kept asking if they were okay, in an effort to indicate that I realised they were coughing a lot. It didn't help. Soon after, I had to leave and go do something else just to avoid screaming "STOP COUGHING!" in their face. It's not like it would help anyway.
Another one of my coworkers chews with his mouth open. He has been told by others (because it's generally a rude thing to do) to stop it, but apparently to no avail. I just know that when he starts eating, I have to leave the room.
It feels like my hands get incredibly restless, when I am triggered. I start fidgeting with whatever I can get my hands on. The sound of people chewing loudly feels like metaphorical needles are being pushed into my ears and brain. I sometimes have to cut my breaks short to avoid the sounds.
I usually start trying to mimic the sound. It's not something I do on purpose, but when people cough again and again, I feel like I need to cough a little as well. The same goes for slurping. I don't realise it at first, but when I do, I stop, because I don't want the person to think I am making fun of them.
Images take from PixaBay
