Your Chewing Drives Me Insane But It's Not My Fault: I Have Misophonia!

For as long as I can remember, certain sounds people make have caused me rage. The word rage isn't any sort of hyperbole, either--I have felt compelled to rush up to obnoxious gum chewers, slurpers and whistlers (not to mention loud talkers, hummers, bag crinklers and those who play the TV or music too loud) and cause bodily harm, despite the fact that I've never so much as shoved someone in my life. Now, when you're a generally intolerant person--someone with overly high expectations, little patience and a desire for perfection from others--you will assume that surges of anger over noises people make is just another example of your intolerance. That is why the sheer redemption I feel over having discovered that I have an actual disorder--misophonia--has been sweet. While some publications began writing about this condition--which is to be caused by a "hyperconnectivity between the auditory system and the limbic system"--since last year, it took a New York Times piece from February to launch it to the forefront of public discourse. Slate followed with an article in August and in the past week, Broadly, The Columbian and many others have followed. I've devoured this glut of stories with the same zeal I embraced the Bose noise cancelling headphones I bought a few years ago. Not only have these pieces provided vindication--turns out I'm not just an intolerant bitch! -- but they have also made me grateful that my condition is comparatively mild; some people with the disorder, I...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news