Most people have never heard of the term ‘misophonia’, a mysterious hearing condition that has affected 20% of the United Kingdom. One in five people in the UK suffers from misophonia, which makes up 19% of its population. Misophonia is a disorder in which people are extremely irritated by normal sounds like chewing, breathing, yawning, sounds that normal people never attend to.
About The Study
The study at King’s College London collected data from a total of 768 people by using a psychometric tool used specially for investigating misophonia. The participants were handed over questionnaires where they were asked to write about sounds, on the basis of which, each was given a particular score. Researchers found that 80% of participants didn’t feel like reacting to particular sounds like chewing, breathing or yawning.
People Don’t Know
The first author of the study said that although huge numbers of people have misophonia but only 14% of them know they have. There are so many people suffering from this right now which is heartbreaking, Dr Silia Vitoratou said. The institute is looking to research more on the topic to know about possible cures and the types of this particular condition.
