Does the sound of your friend breathing drive you batty? Do you avoid restaurants because the sound of chewing gnaws right through you? Does your co-worker’s clicky keyboard make you want to climb out the window? If certain sounds drive you up the wall but don’t seem to bother anyone else around you, you might have misophonia. The condition, which translates to “hatred of sound,” is the extreme emotional and physical reaction to specific noises.
People with misophonia or “selective sound sensitivity syndrome” experience involuntary emotional or physiological responses triggered by specific sounds. People without the condition generally considered these responses extreme.
Misophonia causes individuals to be affected by common sounds, usually made by others, to which most people do not pay attention. Their reactions can range from irritation and anger to panic and considerable emotional distress.
The severity of a person's reactions does not determine whether or not they have misophonia. The determining factor is whether or not the person has an immediate response of disgust or irritation to a single instance of the trigger sound.
Sounds that trigger an adverse reaction in people with misophonia include
People with severe misophonia might even experience adverse reactions to seeing something that they anticipate will create the offending sound, whether or not they can hear it.
It is normal to be irritated by certain sounds, like babies crying, nails on the chalkboard, or utensils scraping a plate. As a species, we are evolutionarily programmed to respond negatively to certain high-pitched sounds because of their similarity to a shriek or scream.
This is not the same thing as misophonia, which is characterized by intense emotion in response to highly specific but otherwise ordinary sounds that other people make.
To better understand misophonia, it helps to know what misophonia is not.
The exact cause of misophonia is unknown, but it has nothing to do with hearing. Researchers believe it might be an issue with how the brain filters sound. A 2017 study in Current Biology found that people with misophonia have unusual brain activity when exposed to certain sounds, triggering a fight-or-flight response. This response did not occur in people without misophonia when they were exposed to the same sounds.
When exposed to other neutral sounds, the brain activity in people with misophonia did not differ much from that of people without the condition.
According to the Misophonia Institute, misophonia affects just one in 1,500 people in the United States. That’s only 0.07% of the population. Many people with the disorder have at least one close family member with the condition, which suggests there might be a genetic component. Misophonia might also be comorbid with other conditions, such as generalized anxiety disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
People with misophonia often feel embarrassed by their condition and hesitate to mention it to healthcare professionals. However, a checkup with the doctor will rule out any underlying medical condition or a reaction to a medication or other substance.
Because misophonia occurs in people with normal hearing, doctors often have trouble making a diagnosis. Misophonia is not yet in the DSM-5 (the standard classification of mental disorders in the US), so standards for its diagnosis are lacking. The condition is sometimes mistaken for anxiety, bipolar, or obsessive-compulsive disorder.
People with misophonia report a range of emotional and physiological reactions to the sounds by which they are triggered. A mild reaction might make a person feel uncomfortable, anxious, disgusted, or offended, or prompt an urge to flee. More severe reactions include intense anger, rage, panic, fear, hatred, or emotional distress.
Misophonia can cause an overwhelming urge to make the sound stop, even to the point where some people want to verbally or physically assault the person causing the trigger sound, though most people with the disorder can control this urge.
People with misophonia can develop anticipatory anxiety about situations where they know a trigger sound will be present. They might avoid eating in restaurants or choose to eat separately from their family, spouse, or roommates.
Because so little is understood about misophonia, people close to the individual with the disorder often have trouble understanding or believing how distressing symptoms can be. This can negatively impact relationships and make people feel isolated by their condition.
Although misophonia interferes with daily life, there are ways to manage it. Common coping strategies include
With a dedicated team of over 75, including writers, editors, and medical experts, we’re committed to bringing you the most comprehensive, up-to-date health information you can rely on.
This site offers information designed for educational purposes only. You should not rely on any information on this site as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or as a substitute for, professional counseling care, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional.