Feeling anger and discomfort listening to small everyday noises is a more common condition than you think, and this English study is proof of that
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Many of us are annoyed by squeaky, unpleasant noises – like a microphone crackling, fingernails scratching a chalkboard, fork prongs screeching on a ceramic plate.
But there are some people who become irritable and impatient in the presence of much more common and harmless noises, which are not even perceived by others: chewing and swallowing food and drink.
In this case, we are in the presence of misofonia (literally, “hate of sound”): it is a disorder included in the anxiety spectrum, the consequences of which range from loss of concentration to disgust up to outbursts of anger and even feelings of resentment and hatred towards the person making noise while eating.
But how widespread is misophonia in society? Much more than previously imagined – at least according to the results of a new study conducted in the UK by researchers from theUniversity of Oxford. The study involved a sample of 776 people, men and women, over the age of 18.
Before starting, participants filled out a questionnaire about potential trigger sounds and their emotional responses. The researchers also collected the testimony of 26 people who identified themselves as having misophonia.
It transpired that 18.4% of the sample of interviewees are affected by misophonia: it is a very important percentage (almost one person out of five), which demonstrates how the disorder is much more widespread than what is believed.
Specifically, respondents with misophonia reported feeling trapped or unable to escape the noise, experiencing feelings of panic and anger that they were unable to control.
But not only that: many people who have not been diagnosed with misophonia by researchers have also reported experiencing feelings of disgust or irritation in the presence of very pronounced chewing and swallowing noises.
Interestingly, most people live with misophonia without having a name to describe their condition: Before the study, less than 14% of the sample said they knew about this disorder.
The researchers specify that it is a study on a small sample of the population, but that it is already sufficient to demonstrate the diffusion of this disorder and to push the scientific literature to investigate misophonia more deeply.
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Source: PLOS One
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