When I was a child it was made clear to me by my mother and siblings---don't ever chew gum around Dad...he hates it!
I never questioned it, I just adhered to it, religiously. As I got older however, it occured to me-- I didn't like the sound of chewing gum either, or loud chewing of any kind.
Not just chewing---little repetetive sounds, the clicking of a pen, the tapping of a fork, anything like that would really get on my nerves.
Was it a family thing...is this something I inherited or was it learned behavior?
If you've been cooped up inside with your family or roommates for the last couple months and noticed yourself getting ANNOYED by things like the sound of their CHEWING . . . this might be for you . . .
1. You may have something called misophonia. That's a combination of Greek words meaning "hate" and "voice" . . . and it loosely translates to "hatred of sound." And things like chewing, slurping, or popping gum are especially big triggers.
2. It's not the same as phonophobia, which is the fear or hatred of loud sounds . . . or hyperacusis, which is a sensitivity to certain frequencies and volume ranges . . . but there might be some overlap.
3. Around 20% of people might suffer from misophonia.
4. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot you can do to stop it. Misophonia isn't well understood by doctors yet, so there's no real treatment plan.
But according to the National Institutes of Health, you can try wearing ear plugs when you might be around triggering sounds . . . and keep your stress levels in check by staying active and sleeping enough.
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