Psychology says people who cannot stand chewing sounds are not being picky: Misophonia is a recognized condition, brain scans show a real threat response, and it may be hereditary

For some people, sharing a table becomes difficult because of something others barely notice: the sound of someone chewing. Slurping, loud breathing and certain mouth movements can trigger a similarly intense response.

This is not necessarily ordinary annoyance. Scientists have studied misophonia for years as a condition involving reduced tolerance for particular sounds and related stimuli. The response can include anger, irritation, disgust or anxiety, along with physical changes and attempts to escape or avoid the situation.

In 2022, an international committee of 15 specialists led by Susan Swedo published a consensus definition in Frontiers in Neuroscience. The experts described misophonia as a disorder involving reduced tolerance for specific sounds or associated stimuli. Triggers differ from person to person, but sounds made by other people are common, especially chewing, slurping, breathing and repetitive mouth movements.

One of the main studies on the condition’s mechanisms appeared in 2017 in Current Biology, by Sukhbinder Kumar and colleagues. Researchers compared people with and without misophonia as they listened to trigger sounds, generally unpleasant sounds and neutral sounds, while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging.

The clearest difference appeared when participants with misophonia heard their own triggers. Their anterior insular cortex showed greater activity, and researchers found differences in that region’s connectivity with other brain areas. The reaction also extended beyond the brain: participants experienced increased heart rates and skin conductance, providing measurable evidence of both cerebral and bodily activation.