It was the salads that got me. On nights when my parents started off dinner with some leafy greens, I left the room. The habit quickly became a ritual, and to my family’s credit – or not – no one ever remarked on it. It was just another quirk, like biting fingernails, or sticking your tongue out when you concentrate.
You see, to me, the sounds of chewing salad were unendurable. The crisp crunching noises and the scrape and squeak of utensils on ceramic dinnerware felt like a personal affront, a stimulus manufactured to induce rosy-red rage inside. I felt an inexplicable urge to hurl plates and bowls against the walls. So, I left the table.
As I grew up and moved away, the problem faded into the background, or, at least, I learned to deal with it. Not till much later did I discover that there was a name for these irrational fits of anger, and a diagnosis to accompany it.
Misophonia is an aversive reaction to specific sounds, often in the form of annoyance that turns quickly to anger. Eating, chewing gum and typing on keyboards are all commonly listed triggers. But it varies from person to person. Human-made noises are most likely to cause the reaction, and these sounds typically come from people who misophonia sufferers are close to, like family and friends. The condition typically starts during childhood or adolescence. And while scientists don’t know exactly how many people are affected, one study of almost 500 undergraduates found some level of misophonia in 20 percent of them.
The severity of reactions ranges across a fairly broad spectrum, from mild to debilitating. Some people can control their symptoms with minimal difficulty, while others find themselves unable to endure even basic social situations.
