1 in 5 people have misophonia — common noises make some rage

If you’ve ever had a visceral reaction to certain sounds such as sniffing, coughing or slurping, you might have misophonia — but you’re far from being the only one.

A new study published in the journal PLOS One has shown that nearly one in five people in the UK are affected by misophonia.

Researchers gave 772 people a questionnaire to understand the intensity and complexity of misophonia, judging noise triggers and reactions. The participants represented the general population of the UK across age, sex and ethnicity.

The study — which is the first in the UK to assess misophonia in a general population — covered 37 common triggers and 25 reactions in the questionnaire.

What is misophonia?

According to the Cleveland Clinic, misophonia is defined as “a phenomenon that causes strong emotions and reactions to certain ‘trigger’ sounds.”

“The experience of misophonia is more than just being annoyed by a sound. Misophonia can cause feelings of helplessness and being trapped when people can’t get away from an unpleasant sound,” senior study author Dr. Jane Gregory, from the department of experimental psychology at the University of Oxford, said in a statement.

What are common misophonia triggers and reactions?

Common trigger sounds include noisily chewing food, the ticking of a clock, heavy breathing, tapping, clicking a pen, water dripping, rustling of paper or plastic and smacking lips.

Reactions can be along the lines of emotional feelings such as distress, anger or panic; body processes like an increased heartbeat; or behavior actions such as glaring.

If a person feels distressed when they hear normal breathing and swelling sounds, they might have the condition as these sounds don’t usually bother the majority of the population, according to the study.

What causes misophonia?

It’s unknown what causes misophonia. However, experts suspect it may be a combination of a few factors such as brain structure differences, family history, genetics or other conditions, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

“Often those with misophonia feel bad about themselves for reacting the way they do, especially when they are responding to sounds made by loved ones,” Gregory said.

“More research is needed to understand what causes misophonia and how we can help those people whose symptoms disrupt their day-to-day lives.”

Who is affected by misophonia?

Misophonia affected 18.4% of the study participants in a serious way, however, only 2.3% thought they had the condition and only 13.6% had ever heard of it.

“We have shown that everyday sounds made by others negatively impact the lives of nearly 1 in 5 people in the UK,” said lead author Dr. Silia Vitoratou, from King’s College London.

“Our study also suggests that many people may not recognize they have misophonia. We believe the scale we have developed will help us to understand misophonia better and will also help health professionals to support those who suffer from misophonia.”

It was found that misophonia is equally common in men and women, and the average age of those with the condition is 43.

Research also found that people who don’t have misophonia also typically feel annoyed by certain noises — but not to the extent as those with the condition. People with misophonia feel more intense responses and are more likely to experience distress, anger or panic.