Have you ever got easily annoyed by the unpleasant sound of chewing? If you can’t concentrate on something else but only on the irritating sound of chewing, you definitely know how terrible it is. This sound is actually intensified in some people’s brain to a level they can’t ignore.
Along chewing, tapping, slurping or cutting nails can be other irritating sounds. Sometimes, these sounds do not cause only annoyance, but an uncontrollable anger. If you are sensitive to these sounds you will be surprised by the underlying cause of this condition.
In this case, you are experiencing a specific neurological disorder, known as misophonia, or the fear of sound. This condition causes intense negative reactions to specific sounds.
This condition has nothing to do with the ears. Those who suffer from misophonia experience structural differences in the brain areas which are responsible for regulating emotions. It is triggered by the central nervous system and affects the auditory stimuli in a negative way.
So, an individual feels anger, panic or disgust and they can respond to such behavior with the so-called “fight or flight” reaction or an attack of anxiety. So, when an individual experiences these irritating sounds, it all has to do with the brain.
However, it does not mean that people who suffer from misophonia hate all sounds, but only some specific sounds which further evoke strong negative emotions.
There are very good news for those who suffer from misophony. According to a research from the Northwestern University, people who suffer from this condition tend to be more creative than most. This atypical attention can be linked to the level of creativity.
So, naturally creative people find it difficult to block out these annoying sounds.
Learn more about misophonia in the following video:
Via David Wolfe
