I suffer from misophonia,which means certain sounds and noises make me angry.Credit:
Loud chewing and the sound of people scratching their skin elicit visceral and irrational reactions from me. I recently learnt that specific noises that enrage me are not because I’m an (entirely) awful person. There’s actually a condition that drives a fight-or-flight stress response to sounds such as chewing,slurping,breathing,swallowing,scratching and yawning.
Misophonia disorder triggers emotional or physiological responses that some might perceive as over the top. The term “misophonia”,coined in 2001,is derived from the Greek and literally means “hatred of sound”. And,boy,do Ihatethose sounds. On a bad day I even hate the person making those sounds.
My misophonia leads to physical and emotional irritation,anxiety,disgust and rage. To onlookers,I have no doubt my reactions appear unreasonable. When I’m triggered by someone scratching a mozzie bite,I find it perfectly reasonable to reach out and place my hand over theirs to make them stop. I’ve been known to cover my ears and shut my eyes at restaurants when noisy slurpers surround me. Afterwards I feel guilty and ashamed of my childlike behaviour.
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I was heartened,when recently seeking treatment for my aversion to certain sounds,to learn that it’s not just me who responds so bizarrely to noises other people don’t even hear. One study suggests that as many as20 per cent of adults live with the condition,their reactions ranging from mild annoyance to why-is-that-woman-rocking-back-and-forth-covering-her-ears.
It takes a lot for me to lose my cool,and those who know me can vouch for my jovial disposition. So why do I morph into a cantankerous Karen when someone near me reaches for a carrot to gnaw on?
A comprehensiveBritish study on misophonia found that “trigger sounds” were associated with increased activity in the anterior insular cortex. This is the part of the brain that processes both sound stimulation and acute stress responses. The condition also involves parts of the brain that code the importance of certain sounds.