I see there's a word for this common condition - misophonia. I'm glad to say I don't have any such aversion to certain sounds. There are lots of things that slightly annoy me but no more than that.
Jenny has a strong antipathy to tea-slurping, noisy food-chewing, snoring and sniffing. Whether her antipathy is greater than other people's I have no idea. But it means I have to be careful to avoid the habits that set her off.
It's estimated that 18 per cent of the population have misophonia - an extraordinary figure that amounts to 12 million people. They often think they're alone because it's something that's hardly ever discussed. Apparently there's an assumption that women are more prone to it than men, but that isn't the case.
There are some sounds you might think would drive me crazy, but for some reason they don't. When we lived in a flat in London, the woman upstairs was forever walking round the flat in high heels. She made quite a racket but I was able to disregard it. Likewise another flat-neighbour had a hacking cough throughout the day and often during the night as well. I imagine both sounds would drive misophonics clean round the bend.
One advantage of blogging is that my blogmates aren't exposed to whatever noisy habits I might be guilty of. I might be slurping my tea like a thirsty elephant but nobody knows except me.
loud sneezing makes me irrationally angry, which is unfair because it can't be helped. I hope people can't tell how annoyed I get.
ReplyDeleteMisophonia can be related to autism, ADHD and other sensory issues but sometimes it's just misophonia
Kylie: I also tend to sneeze loudly, but fortunately I hardly ever get colds so I don't sneeze very often.
DeleteI think I have a mild case of it. I say mild because it’s not something I recall bothering me until maybe the last 10 years. And I usually only notice it at home (husband and daughter) not in public. My husband tends to get a cough with every cold and it drives me insane. It actually startles me, the same as if someone were setting off fireworks!
ReplyDeleteBijoux: Jenny has had a persistent cough for some months, possibly a symptom of long covid. I find it very irritating but she obviously can't help it. She's tried all sorts of things - steroid pills, inhalers, honey - but so far nothing has really helped.
DeleteThere is noise and there is noise. Whilst I prefer quiet I don't mind what you may call "natural" noises (say, children).
ReplyDeleteI myself screamed (in surprise) the other day when a mouse crossed my path. Alas, I understand mice are deaf (as well as blind). So, not much of a deterrent.
The one thing that grates is when music is played in the neighbourhood and all you hear is the bass. It has a strange drip drip effect on my not easily perturbed equilibrium. The other thing I don't like when neighbours start a shouting match at two in the morning. No worries. I did ring their bell and asked them to tone it down a bit. For all I know I might have prevented homicide. What else? Your high heeled neighbour above? I'd move, Nick, I'd move. Or buy her some slippers. There are limits.
U
Ursula: I also screamed a few months ago when a mouse scurried into our house. I was afraid it might climb up my leg! Yes, I also dislike noisy music with a throbbing bass.
DeleteI wouldn't move just because my neighbour wears high heels. Offering her some slippers is a clever idea.
A friend suffers from this...and really suffers. Unfortuntely dogs snoring and licking themselves form part of the gallery of things which hurt her...and she has two dogs!
ReplyDeleteFly: Strange that she keeps two dogs even though doggy behaviour gets on her nerves.
DeleteI’m horribly sensitive to some sounds: radios sound crackly and tinny to me, and I find myself becoming more and more tense if I get stuck in a room with one. I once had a contract with a company that facilitated enormous conferences and had to be in the office of the opps director all day. She had the radio on all day and I became so exhausted I couldn’t function after about two months, so we parted ways. Which was a shame because it was a great job in every other respect. Ditto televisions, hate them. And most piped music in cafes and such. Dripping taps, eek! I don’t walk out of places when they have such sounds, but I do begin to shut down if I stay too long. I have a similar problem with certain smells…
ReplyDeleteEryl: That seems like an awful lot of noises and smells that disturb you! I couldn't have worked for someone who always had the radio on, it would drive me mad. I once worked in a book warehouse where they had the radio on all day. I left after three weeks, I just couldn't stand it.
DeleteYap yap dogs! I can handle woofs, but yap yaps drive me nuts.
ReplyDeleteMy Dave quietly plays music in the background on his computer. Most of the time it doesn't bother me but there are a few songs where I have to ask him to turn it off.
Linda
Linda: Yapping dogs are very annoying. There's a dog in our street that yaps strenuously whenever I go past. It's convinced I'm some huge threat and I'm just about to burgle the house, if not burn it down.
DeleteBeatrice says: "Nick, I was unfamiliar with this term and admit to having it bother me when Grenville coughs, a lot. He has always suffered from sinus issues and at times his cough will be so long and loud that others who hear it will become concerned. I know he is uncomfortable as well just knowing something he can’t prevent can be an irritant.
ReplyDeleteBeatrice: Jenny is the same. She knows her loud coughing is irritating to others but it's hard to prevent. I guess a lot more research is needed into persistent coughing and how to stop it.
DeleteI once had a neighbour who would fart so loudly that I could hear it through the walls, though thankfully I couldn't smell them. She also used to have the television on really loudly. In the end I had to move - it all grated on my nerves.
ReplyDeleteI now live next to a working farm and the noises from there don't bother me at all - not even the milk truck which collects in the middle of the night.
Sx
Ms Scarlet: That's interesting, that "urban" noises were so disturbing yet farm noises don't bother you at all. Glad to know you're now a happier bunny!
DeleteMy daughter has this. Even the dog eating, or him licking his paw drives her nuts. That kind of noise never bothers me.
ReplyDeleteMary: Doggie noises don't usually bother me, apart from loud and relentless yapping, which gets on my nerves after a while.
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