Most of us can’t stand the sound of nails on a chalkboard. But if you have misophonia , you might be more than annoyed—instead, you might feel sick, enraged, or panicked.
Misophonia is a disorder that triggers intense reactions to specific sounds. Wondering if you might have this condition? Answer a few questions, and we’ll help you get clarity.
Questions Overview
- Absolutely—there are a lot of them!
- Yes, definitely a few.
- Eh, maybe a few.
- Not at all.
- Totally true.
- Kind of true.
- Kind of false.
- Definitely false.
- Definitely true.
- Mostly true.
- Mostly false.
- Definitely false.
- Yes, for sure.
- Yeah, sometimes.
- Not really.
- Not at all.
- Yes, a lot of the time.
- Yes, sometimes.
- No, not really.
- Not at all.
- Yes, constantly.
- Yes, sometimes.
- No, not really.
- No, not at all.
- Yes, very often.
- Yes, sometimes.
- No, not often.
- No, never.
- Definitely true.
- Mostly true.
- Mostly false.
- Definitely false.
- Yes, for sure.
- Yeah, a couple times.
- Not really.
- No, never.
- Yes, often.
- Yeah, sometimes.
- Not really.
- Not at all.
- Yes, there are a lot.
- Yeah, a few.
- Not really.
- No, none at all.
- Yes, often.
- Yeah, now and then.
- Not really.
- No, never.
- Yes, all the time.
- Yeah, sometimes.
- Not really.
- No, never.
- Yes, I really do.
- Yeah, a bit.
- Not really.
- Not at all.
More Quizzes
- Emotional responses:<\/b>
- Fear<\/li>
- Anxiety<\/li>
- Irritability<\/li>
- Disgust<\/li>
- Rage<\/li><\/li><\/ul>
- Physiological responses:<\/b>
- Increased blood pressure<\/li>
- Chest tightness<\/li>
- Goosebumps<\/li>
- Increased heart rate<\/li>
- Sweating<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Behavioral responses:<\/b>
- Avoiding situations where you might hear certain sounds<\/li>
- Leaving a place when you hear a certain sound<\/li>
- Non-violent behavior to make the sound stop<\/li>
- Violent behavior to make the sound stop (but this is very rare)<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>
The good news is, misophonia is usually very manageable, especially with the help of a licensed mental health professional. They\u2019ll be able to help you develop techniques to minimize or eradicate your misophonia symptoms, such as avoiding your trigger sounds or practicing managing your emotions when you can\u2019t avoid trigger noises.
In addition to reaching out to a therapist or counselor, we recommend checking out some of these articles on maintaining focus when you hear a disruptive noise, controlling your emotions, and other ways to help you manage your misophonia\u2014so it doesn\u2019t manage you:- How to Block Out Noise<\/a><\/li>
- How to Concentrate When There Are Background Noises<\/a><\/li>
- How to Gain Control of Your Emotions<\/a><\/li><\/ul>","edit_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Choose-a-Therapist"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Concentrate-While-There-Are-Background-Noises"}],"link_data":[{"title":"How to Choose a Therapist","id":45124,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Choose-a-Therapist","relUrl":"\/Choose-a-Therapist","image":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/d7\/Stop-Alcohol-Cravings-Step-3-Version-2.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Stop-Alcohol-Cravings-Step-3-Version-2.jpg","alt":"How to Choose a Therapist"},{"title":"How to Concentrate While There Are Background Noises","id":1663883,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Concentrate-While-There-Are-Background-Noises","relUrl":"\/Concentrate-While-There-Are-Background-Noises","image":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/37\/Concentrate-While-There-Are-Background-Noises-Step-12.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Concentrate-While-There-Are-Background-Noises-Step-12.jpg","alt":"How to Concentrate While There Are Background Noises"}],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""},{"number":2,"text":"You may have misophonia.","meaning":"Based on some of your answers, you seem like you have misophonia. Misophonia causes irrational or unexpectedly intense emotional\u2014and sometimes behavioral or physical\u2014responses to certain sounds. Typical symptoms of misophonia include:
- Emotional responses:<\/b>
- Fear<\/li>
- Anxiety<\/li>
- Irritability<\/li>
- Disgust<\/li>
- Rage<\/li><\/li><\/ul>
- Physiological responses:<\/b>
- Increased blood pressure<\/li>
- Chest tightness<\/li>
- Goosebumps<\/li>
- Increased heart rate<\/li>
- Sweating<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Behavioral responses:<\/b>
- Avoiding situations where you might hear certain sounds<\/li>
- Leaving a place when you hear a certain sound<\/li>
- Non-violent behavior to make the sound stop<\/li>
- Violent behavior to make the sound stop (but this is very rare)<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>
The good news is, your case doesn\u2019t sound so severe! Maybe there are only one or two sounds that drive you crazy, or you\u2019re bothered by a lot of sounds, but you\u2019re able to control your reactions.
The even better news is, misophonia is usually very manageable, especially with the help of a licensed mental health professional. They\u2019ll be able to help you develop techniques to minimize or eradicate your misophonia symptoms, such as avoiding your trigger sounds or practicing managing your emotions when you can\u2019t avoid trigger noises.
In addition to reaching out to a therapist or counselor, we recommend checking out some of these articles on maintaining focus when you hear a disruptive noise, controlling your emotions, and other ways to help you manage your misophonia\u2014so it doesn\u2019t manage you:- How to Block Out Noise<\/a><\/li>
- How to Concentrate When There Are Background Noises<\/a><\/li>
- How to Gain Control of Your Emotions<\/a><\/li><\/ul>","edit_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Choose-a-Therapist"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Concentrate-While-There-Are-Background-Noises"}],"link_data":[{"title":"How to Choose a Therapist","id":45124,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Choose-a-Therapist","relUrl":"\/Choose-a-Therapist","image":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/d7\/Stop-Alcohol-Cravings-Step-3-Version-2.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Stop-Alcohol-Cravings-Step-3-Version-2.jpg","alt":"How to Choose a Therapist"},{"title":"How to Concentrate While There Are Background Noises","id":1663883,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Concentrate-While-There-Are-Background-Noises","relUrl":"\/Concentrate-While-There-Are-Background-Noises","image":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/37\/Concentrate-While-There-Are-Background-Noises-Step-12.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Concentrate-While-There-Are-Background-Noises-Step-12.jpg","alt":"How to Concentrate While There Are Background Noises"}],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""},{"number":3,"text":"You probably don\u2019t have misophonia.","meaning":"It doesn\u2019t seem like you\u2019re dealing with misophonia\u2014or if you are, it\u2019s pretty manageable. Sure, maybe there are a few sounds you hate and you cringe at the word \u201cmoist\u201d like the rest of us\u2014but when it comes to extreme emotional reactions to specific noises, you don\u2019t really tend to have them, or when you do, they\u2019re fairly easy for you to control. What a relief!","edit_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Choose-a-Therapist"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Concentrate-While-There-Are-Background-Noises"}],"link_data":[{"title":"How to Choose a Therapist","id":45124,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Choose-a-Therapist","relUrl":"\/Choose-a-Therapist","image":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/d7\/Stop-Alcohol-Cravings-Step-3-Version-2.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Stop-Alcohol-Cravings-Step-3-Version-2.jpg","alt":"How to Choose a Therapist"},{"title":"How to Concentrate While There Are Background Noises","id":1663883,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Concentrate-While-There-Are-Background-Noises","relUrl":"\/Concentrate-While-There-Are-Background-Noises","image":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/37\/Concentrate-While-There-Are-Background-Noises-Step-12.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Concentrate-While-There-Are-Background-Noises-Step-12.jpg","alt":"How to Concentrate While There Are Background Noises"}],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""},{"number":4,"text":"You don\u2019t sound like you have misophonia.","meaning":"It doesn\u2019t sound like you\u2019re dealing with misophonia. Sure, maybe there are a few sounds you\u2019d rather not hear and you cringe at the word \u201cmoist\u201d like the rest of us\u2014but when it comes to extreme emotional reactions to specific noises, you don\u2019t really tend to have them. What a relief!","edit_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Choose-a-Therapist"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Concentrate-While-There-Are-Background-Noises"}],"link_data":[{"title":"How to Choose a Therapist","id":45124,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Choose-a-Therapist","relUrl":"\/Choose-a-Therapist","image":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/d7\/Stop-Alcohol-Cravings-Step-3-Version-2.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Stop-Alcohol-Cravings-Step-3-Version-2.jpg","alt":"How to Choose a Therapist"},{"title":"How to Concentrate While There Are Background Noises","id":1663883,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Concentrate-While-There-Are-Background-Noises","relUrl":"\/Concentrate-While-There-Are-Background-Noises","image":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/37\/Concentrate-While-There-Are-Background-Noises-Step-12.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Concentrate-While-There-Are-Background-Noises-Step-12.jpg","alt":"How to Concentrate While There Are Background Noises"}],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""}]" class="quiz_results_data"/>
<\/picture>","alt":"Am I a Fairy Quiz"},{"title":"Introvert or Extrovert Quiz","id":13737789,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Introvert-or-Extrovert-Quiz","relUrl":"\/Introvert-or-Extrovert-Quiz","image":"
<\/picture>","alt":"Introvert or Extrovert Quiz"},{"title":"What Disney Princess Am I Quiz","id":14180825,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/What-Disney-Princess-Are-You","relUrl":"\/What-Disney-Princess-Are-You","image":"
<\/picture>","alt":"What Disney Princess Am I Quiz"}],"number":1},{"text":"Nothing at all","result":"*whispering* try these quizzes next please:","next_quizzes":[{"title":"What Mythical Creature Am I Quiz","id":13965978,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/What-Mythical-Creature-Am-I","relUrl":"\/What-Mythical-Creature-Am-I","image":"
<\/picture>","alt":"What Mythical Creature Am I Quiz"},{"title":"Introvert or Extrovert Quiz","id":13737789,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Introvert-or-Extrovert-Quiz","relUrl":"\/Introvert-or-Extrovert-Quiz","image":"
<\/picture>","alt":"Introvert or Extrovert Quiz"},{"title":"How Big Is My Ego Quiz","id":13920175,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/How-Big-Is-Your-Ego","relUrl":"\/How-Big-Is-Your-Ego","image":"
<\/picture>","alt":"How Big Is My Ego Quiz"}],"number":2}]}" class="quiz_questionnaire_data"/>
- How to Concentrate When There Are Background Noises<\/a><\/li>
- How to Block Out Noise<\/a><\/li>
- How to Concentrate When There Are Background Noises<\/a><\/li>
- How to Block Out Noise<\/a><\/li>
More About Misophonia
What is misophonia?
Misophonia is a condition in which specific sounds trigger a person’s fight-or-flight response and cause exceptionally intense physiological or psychological reactions. If you have misophonia, your emotions upon hearing a certain sound might be so overwhelming that they’re difficult to control. Though misophonia is not officially recognized as a disorder (yet!), many medical experts recognize it as one.
Symptoms of Misophonia
Common symptoms of misophonia include:
- Emotional reactions:
- Fear
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Disgust
- Anger
- Physiological reactions
- Increased blood pressure
- Chest tightness
- Goosebumps
- Increased heart rate
- Sweating
- Behavioral reactions:
- Avoiding environments or situations where you might hear trigger sounds
- Leaving an area when you hear a trigger sound
- Non-violent or violent action to make the sound stop
What triggers misophonia? Common trigger sounds for misophonia include what many of us might consider generally unpleasant sounds: chewing food noisily, heavy breathing, clicking a pen, smacking lips, water dripping, nails on a chalkboard, etc. But for someone with misophonia, the emotional response to these noises is beyond what most people would consider reasonable.
However, misophonia exists on a spectrum: some people may have strong reactions only to one specific sound, like water dripping, while others may feel emotionally triggered by many different types of sounds. Some people may have intense emotional responses to sounds they dislike, but be able to control them; others may not be able to control how they react to triggering sounds—they may not even be able to be in certain environments or specific areas where they might hear a triggering noise. In rare cases, misophonia can cause violent reactions.
What causes misophonia?
Misophonia is relatively common, affecting approximately 1 in 5 people throughout their lifetime, and it can affect anybody, but it seems to be more common in women. Experts are unsure what exactly causes misophonia, but they believe it’s a combination of brain structure differences
, other conditions that may cause misophonia
(like neurodivergence, certain mental health conditions, and certain hearing-related conditions), and/or family history or genetics
.
Treatment for Misophonia Treatment for misophonia involves:
- Learning to identify your trigger sounds
- Exploring ways to minimize or prevent trigger sounds or reactions to them
- Developing coping strategies to avoid impulsive responses to triggering noises
- Reducing sensitivity to triggering noises
Additionally, treating any conditions that may be causing misophonia can help alleviate symptoms of misophonia too. If you believe you’re struggling with misophonia, reach out to a mental health professional: they’ll be able to explore treatment options with you so you can navigate a path forward.
Want to learn more?
To learn more about misophonia, visit these sites: