Noise of chalk on the blackboard, squealing of tires, food noises, sniffling… Some noises annoy or even put off some people. I’aversion intense towards certain noises even has a name: misophonia.
According to a new British study, this trouble neuropsychique would concern more people than previously thought. About 18% of the general population of the United Kingdom might thus be concerned, if we are to believe the results of the study, published on March 22 in the journal Plos One (Source 1).
The scientists here recruited 768 people, forming a representative sample of the British population. Of these, 51% identified as female, 48% as male, and 4% as non-binary or other. The average age was 46.4 years. Of these 768 people surveyed, only 13.6% knew the term misophonia before participating in the survey, and 2.3% identified themselves as misophonic.
Participants were then asked questions regarding various sounds and their emotional reaction to those sounds, which they were asked to rate on a 10-point scale. Respondents also shared how these sounds might affect their life, self-perception, personal and professional relationships. By cross-checking the data, including comparing it with the results of people who had self-identified as misophonic from the outset, the researchers found that 18% of their total sample actually seemed to have significant symptoms of misophonia. Feeling of being trapped, helplessness in the face of these sounds, self-incrimination in the face of disproportionate reactions… Misophonia can thus induce various and disabling symptoms on a daily basis.
Put a name to a phenomenon to better experience it
« Importantly, our study found that one in five people in the UK experience significant misophonic reactions, but [que] only a small fraction knew the term. This means that most people with misophonia do not have a name for describe what they are going through. Our team works hard to raise the profile of the disease and provide healthcare professionals with the tools they need to effectively understand and assess misophonia. “, commented the biostatistician Silia Vitoratou, first author of the study, in a press release (Source 2). ” This may be such a relief to discover that you are not alone, that other people also react to sounds in this way, to discover thatthere’s a word for what you’re going through continued Jane Gregory, psychology researcher and also co-author.
