Misophonia is a disorder in which specific common sounds such as another person breathing or chewing, or the ticking of a clock, cause an atypical negative emotional response. Affected individuals may experience anger, irritability, annoyance, disgust, and anxiety, as well as physiological autonomic responses, and may find everyday environments and contexts to be unbearable in which their ‘misophonic stimuli’ (often called ‘trigger sounds’) are present. Misophonia is gradually being recognized as a genuine problem that causes significant distress and has negative consequences for individuals and their families. It has only recently come under scientific scrutiny, as researchers and clinicians are establishing its prevalence, distinguishing it from other disorders of sensory sensitivity such as hyperacusis, establishing its neurobiological bases, and evaluating the effectiveness of potential treatments. I aim to provide an overview of our current understanding of misophonia, summarizing recent findings that bear upon and inform the mechanistic models of misophonia. I will also highlight unknowns, and suggest how the field might further progress in the next years to move toward effective treatments.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe misophonia’s symptoms and prevalence.
- Distinguish misophonia from hyperacusis.
- Summarize neurobiological differences (vs. healthy controls).
- List unknowns and promising research directions.
