Being Annoyed By Noisy Chewing Is A Genuine Psychiatric Disorder, Study Reveals

We all have our triggers. It could be a certain topic of discussion, an image, a memory, or a particular sound. If you find yourself seriously bothered (or even angered) by everyday sounds such as, say, loud chewing, you could be suffering from a brain abnormality called misophonia.

Misophonia, which was first named as a medical condition back in 2001, is discussed in more detail in a new report titled “The Brain Basis for Misophonia” by researchers at the Newcastle University, published in the journal Current Biology.

People suffering from misophonia show changes in brain activity upon hearing trigger sounds.

As the researchers described misophonia in the report:

“Misophonia is an affective sound-processing disorder characterized by the experience of strong negative emotions (anger and anxiety) in response to everyday sounds, such as those generated by other people eating, drinking, chewing, and breathing. The commonplace nature of these sounds (often referred to as ‘trigger sounds’) makes misophonia a devastating disorder for sufferers and their families, and yet nothing is known about the underlying mechanism.”

Repeated pen-clicking can also be a trigger sound.

When persons suffering from misophonia hear trigger sounds, their brains go into overdrive and they’re able to hear the trigger sounds more. The study conducted also saw abnormality in the sufferers’ emotional control mechanism, as well as increase in their heart rate and excessive sweating.

Misophonia is a serious condition, as the study proves it has effects on the brain and body.

According to Tim Griffiths, Professor of Cognitive Neurology at Newcastle University and UCL:

“I was part of the skeptical community myself until we saw patients in the clinic and understood how strikingly similar the features are – I hope this will reassure sufferers.”

Do you have any trigger sounds? Let us know in the comments below.