Hate The Sound Of People Chewing? Here's A Reason Why It May Bother You So Much

by N/A, 9 years ago | 2 min read

Misophonia is the hatred, intense dislike, or revulsion to certain sounds. It is most certainly a real thing.

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Do you have misophonia? Here's what you need to know.

According to WebMD, if you have misophonia, certain sounds can "make you panic or fly into a rage." This includes sounds like chewing, slurping, throat-clearing, coughing, and everyone's favorite, nails-on-a-chalkboard. Mostly, a person's misophonia is triggered by sounds made from another person's mouth. Misophonia is an actual diagnosable condition, and it can have a serious, negative impact on the lives of those it affects.

Nobody knows what causes misophonia.

Initial symptoms of the ailment usually occur during adolescence, between the ages of 9 and 13. Interestingly enough, it more commonly affects girls.

Misophonia isn't a hearing-related condition.

Doctors believe it is a combined psychological and physical condition. Sometimes misophonia is misdiagnosed as anxiety or other mental disorders.

Misophonia is alternatively referred to as "selective sound sensitivity syndrome."

There isn't really a cure for misophonia, but it is treatable to an extent. There are over a dozen misophonia clinics around the United States that combine mental health counseling and auditory therapy. A doctor might prescribe a misophonia sufferer a set of special "white noise" hearing aids to hide the trigger sounds.

People who suffer misophonia express their discomfort toward sounds in varying ways–most of which are fairly mild, but some of which are very severe.

Typically, a mild reaction will cause the sufferer to feel disgust, anxiety, or simply a strong desire to get away from the sound. On the more severe end, the sufferer might feel extreme rage, distress, hatred for the source of the sound, or even suicidal thoughts.

If you've experienced any of these symptoms, you might be glad to know there's a Misophonia Association that hosts a yearly conference at varying locations in the United States.

The affliction might be more common than you'd expect. If you or someone you know is a misophonia sufferer, you can check out more information here.

If you're still unsure if you're suffering from misophonia, we're here to help. If you can't get through even a millisecond of this recording, you might be a miso sufferer.

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