The sound of people chewing can annoy most people, especially if they do so with their mouths open. But for some people, these noises can be completely unbearable and that may be due to what’s called misophonia.
Does the sound of chewing make you want to claw your ears off? If so, there’s a name for what might be going on with you
Have you ever been eating your food and felt like someone is giving you the death stare? Don’t blame them just yet, they might not be able to help it.
Maybe you’re one of the people who give the death stare to people eating, and just never knew why it irritates you so much. If hearing people chew their food drives you bonkers, there’s a chance you might have what’s known as misophonia.
So what is misophonia?
Misophonia is “a strong dislike or hatred of specific sounds.” It’s not just the chewing of food that people with misophonia are affected by, they often report a dislike to oral sounds in general. For people with this disorder, sounds like chewing, drinking, and breathing can trigger emotional responses that can seem unreasonable.
Other random sounds like typing on a keyboard, windshield wipers, and someone fidgeting can also trigger these responses. These sounds for people with misophonia can prompt them to have feelings of anxiety, disgust, irritation, rage, panic, fear, emotional distress, and an urge to flee.
What causes misophonia?
Experts believe that this may have something to do with the way the brain is processing these sounds, according to Sukhbinder Kumar from the Journal of Neuroscience:
“Our findings indicate that for people with misophonia there is abnormal communication between the auditory and motor brain regions — you could describe it as a ‘supersensitized connection.'”
It’s not just sounds that people with misophonia are affected by.
People with misophonia may also be affected by visual stimuli that go along with the sound.
“What surprised us was that we also found a similar pattern of communication between the visual and motor regions, which reflects that misophonia can also occur when triggered by something visual,” says Kumar
How do you get misophonia?
Doctors aren’t sure exactly what causes misophonia or if there is an age range for the lifelong disorder, but some people have reported it between the ages of 9-13. There doesn’t appear to be anything specific that causes it, but it’s more frequent in girls and begins affecting people quickly.
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While it may seem like it’s a problem with your ears, it’s not. They think it’s likely due to the way these sounds affect your brain and is both a mental and physical response to these sounds.
It’s also easy for doctors to misdiagnose misophonia, and some are completely unaware of the rare condition.
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How do you treat misophonia?
This condition can severely affect the sufferer’s life, but there are ways of managing the disorder. According to WebMD:
“Treatment often involves a multidisciplinary approach combining sound therapy by audiologists and supportive counseling in which coping strategies are emphasized. You might try a device like a hearing aid that creates a sound in your ear similar to a waterfall. The noise distracts you from triggers and reduces reactions. Other treatments include talk therapy.”
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If you are suffering from misophonia, the Misophonia Association holds yearly conventions that you may want to attend.
To see more on this rare disorder, watch the video below!
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