Most of us can relate to the intense feeling of disgust that sends shivers down your spine when you hear someone’s voice. scrape your nails on the blackboard. But for some people, such intense reactions to noise can also be triggered by more common, mundane sounds.
This sensitivity is called misophonia, and a recent study in the UK suggests that more people suffer from it than previously thought.
Triggering sounds include chewing, slurping, snoring, and breathing, and reactions can range from mild irritation and anger to distress that interferes with daily life.
“Our study shows the complexity of the symptoms.” explained Jane Gregory, a clinical psychologist at the University of Oxford, is a co-author of the study, which was published in March 2023.
“Misophonia is not only being irritated by certain sounds, but also being unable to escape them, causing you to miss things and feel trapped and helpless.”
Psychometrician Cilia Vitratu from King’s College London, along with Gregory and colleagues, will distribute volunteers across gender (including non-binary), age and ethnicity in a way that reflects UK census data. An algorithm was used to draw a representative sample of people over the age of 18. old.
772 volunteers completed a questionnaire about potential trigger sounds and their emotional responses, examining five aspects of misophonia: a sense of emotional threat, internal and external appraisals, outbursts, and shock. The researchers also interviewed 26 people who identified themselves as having misophonia and 29 who did not.
“The prevalence of misophonia in the UK is 18.4 per cent,” the research team said. foundthese descriptions of findings are only representative of the UK and may differ in other parts of the world.
Many of the sounds that can cause misophonia are not well-loved by the general public. Loud chewing sounds were the most disgusting among survey respondents, but many other sounds caused widespread irritation.
However, there were two important differences between people with misophonia and the general population.
First, in a subset of the more sensitive population, negative emotions toward universally disliked sounds were often accompanied by anger and panic. They reported feeling trapped or helpless and unable to escape the noise.
“It’s about feeling like there’s something wrong with your reaction to a sound, but not being able to do anything about it.” Said Gregory. This can lead to guilt, shame, anxiety, and withdrawal.
Finally, people with misophonia were more likely to be bothered by sounds such as normal breathing and swallowing, whereas in the general population these sounds elicited no response.
“Importantly, our research reveals that one in five people in the UK experience a serious misophonic reaction, but only a minority know this term. .” explained Vitratu.
“This means that most people with misophonia do not have a name to describe what they are experiencing.”
Less than 14 percent of the sample population was aware of misophonia before the survey.
“It can be very comforting to know that you are not alone and that others react to sounds in the same way.” I got it. Gregory. “Knowing that there are words to describe what you are experiencing.”
The researchers’ study could serve as a tool to help other clinicians identify patients suffering from the condition.
“Our results show that misophonia is a relatively common condition, and it is difficult to determine at what point this condition becomes a ‘disability’ in terms of distress, impact, and need for treatment. “requires further study,” the researchers said. concluded.
This research Pro Swan.
A version of this article was first published in March 2023.
