People chewing loudly tend to annoy you? Here is a possible explanation

Medical Adina Camarasu
https://stocknewsusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/misofonie-1170x644.jpg

Noisy eating is a huge problem for those who have to listen to ‘splashes’.

And, for some, it is even more than that.

It’s pure torture!

Nobody likes to hear how someone is chewing with his mouth open, making noise, but some people really suffer from such a condition, known as misophobia.

Misophobia is rarely encountered, but it makes those affected people to be extremely sensitive to everyday sounds.

A new study has shown that their brains have the tendency to perceive sounds differently.

A study, which had its results published in the journal Current Biology, was conducted on 42 participants.

The brains of 20 patients suffering from misophobia and other 22 who did not present this condition, were scanned.

All the participants were exposed to unpleasant sounds such as screams, neutral sounds, such as rain, and sounds that trigger the condition, such as the sound of someone chewing with his mouth open or noisy breathing.

Nobody reacted positively to such sounds, but the patients suffering from misophobia began to sweat and their pulse has increased considerably.

Analyzing the brain of each patient, the researchers found that specific regions of the body are connected differently in those suffering from the illness.

A region in our brain called the anterior cortex influences the things that we are attentive to.

In people with misophobia, the region was more active when listening to the sounds that trigger reactions such as changes in heart rate.

Also, this region of the brain was more connected with other regions, contributing to strong responses.

Misophobia is not very common, but if researchers will continue to study it we might know more about it and we may find solutions for treating this condition.