Trigger sounds impair speech perception for people with misophonia

A study comparing individuals with misophonia with healthy people found that a triggering sound, that of a buzzing fly, significantly impaired the ability of individuals with misophonia to perceive speech in a noisy environment. With a greater number of triggering sounds, and in individuals with more severe symptoms of misophonia, speech perception in noise abilities were even lower. The research was published in Brain and Behavior.

Misophonia is a condition in which certain everyday sounds trigger intense emotional or physical reactions, such as anger, disgust, anxiety, or an urge to escape. The sounds that provoke these responses are often small, repetitive noises like chewing, tapping, sniffing, or clicking. People with misophonia usually recognize that their reactions are stronger than the situation warrants, yet they cannot easily control them.

The condition is not classified as a traditional hearing disorder because the problem lies not in the ears but in how the brain processes sound. Neuroimaging studies suggest heightened connectivity between auditory regions and areas involved in emotion and threat detection. Misophonia can strain interpersonal relationships, as individuals suffering from misophonia may avoid shared meals, public places, or activities involving unavoidable sounds.

Study authors Nazife Öztürk Özdeş and Suna Tokgöz Yılmaz wanted to evaluate the speech perception in noise (the ability to understand speech in a noisy environment) of individuals with misophonia and see how the presence of triggering sounds and the severity of misophonia affect this performance.

Study participants were 40 adults with misophonia who came with complaints of sound sensitivity to the Audiology, Balance, and Speech Disorders Unit of Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, Ibn-i Sina Hospital, in Turkey, and 40 healthy individuals matched with them on age and gender. Participants’ average age was 43 years and 90% of them were women.

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Study participants underwent routine audiological assessments and evaluations for decreased sound tolerance. They then completed the Hearing in Noise Test, a test that evaluates the ability to recognize and repeat sentences under various noise conditions. This test provides an assessment of an individual’s ability to understand speech in noisy environments encountered in daily life.

Results showed that speech perception in noise abilities of individuals with misophonia were similar to those of healthy individuals when tested with standard background noise. However, when triggering sounds were present, the speech perception in noise of individuals with misophonia decreased substantially. With a greater number of triggering sounds and in individuals with more severe symptoms of misophonia, speech perception in noise abilities were even lower.

“The findings highlight that the presence of triggering sounds negatively impacts speech perception in noise among individuals with misophonia. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that the number of misophonic triggering sounds and the severity of misophonia exacerbate these negative effects on speech perception. These findings support the view that misophonia is not merely an emotional or psychological condition but also one that influences neurophysiological functioning,” the study authors concluded.

The study contributes to the scientific understanding of misophonia. However, the study sample was relatively small, and the study procedure utilized only one type of triggering sound (the sound of a buzzing fly). Future studies on larger samples and using a wider range of triggering sounds could offer a more comprehensive evaluation of the effects of misophonia on speech perception.

The paper, “When Everyday Sounds Become Barriers: The Effect of Misophonia on Speech Perception,” was authored by Nazife Öztürk Özdeş and Suna Tokgöz Yılmaz.