Would you pick yourself for an individual who gets enraged and infuriated by certain sounds, you may not just be cranky but may actually have your brain hardwired to produce excessive emotional responses to particular sounds.
The condition known as misophonia, had long been thought to have no basis in neurology and and was just shrugged off as a normally occurring syndrome that had people be annoyed by certain sounds. However, now it is widely known, that people suffering through misophonia, are actively enraged by certain sounds and get into a state of a fight or flight response.
In a first of a study, researchers carried out brain scans on those with the condition and discovered that there were physical differences as to how their brains were wired. Employing the use of 22 participants, the scientists to them played a myriad of different sounds and noises, whilst keeping a track of their brains in MRI scanners.
The sounds were either neutral (nature sounds, rain and what not) and then some which could be considered unpleasant (a screaming baby or loud truck horns), or the individuals trigger noises; which ranged from the sounds of something chewing or sneezing, dependant on the control group participants.
It was then discovered that the region of the brain linked to our senses and emotions was connected differently in people with misophonia and would often send the sufferers into overdrive when they heard their trigger sounds. Concluding such people would get into genuine anger or rage, feel threatened, and be panicked or stressed when triggered by their respective sounds.
Olana Tansley-Hancock, one of the subjects in the study tells foreign media, "I feel there's a threat and get the urge to lash out it's the fight or flight response. It's not a general annoyance, it's an immediate 'Oh my God, what is that sound?' I need to get away from it or stop it.'"
Other subjects described a feeling of shame and embarrassment afterwards at what they thought of as their overreaction, even though they couldn't control it.
Dr Sukhbinder Kumar, co-author of this study which was published in acclaimed science journal, Current Biology said, They are going into overdrive when they hear these sounds, but the activity was specific to the trigger sounds not the other two sounds. The reaction is anger mostly, it's not disgust, the dominating emotion is the anger it looks like a normal response, but then it is going into overdrive.
While those who have misophonia may now feel vindicated that what they experience is a genuine condition, the results do not unfortunately enlighten medical professionals how to best deal with it.
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