You might have heard of the term “misophonia.” Or probably not.
But you’ve probably come across someone (or maybe are the someone) who has intense emotional reactions to sounds like chewing or breathing.
If you don’t have it, the condition may seem a “quirk,” and not a condition.
But talk to someone with it, and they will tell you that – no – something as ostensibly benign as the way someone chews can range from “I can’t eat with you right now” to “how could I eat with this person for this rest of my life?!” in a dating context.
It really is that irritating and emotionally upsetting to people with misophonia.
Well, a fascinating new study published in Frontiers in Neuroscience has revealed a genetic-basis for the condition and, further, one that links it to conditions like anxiety, PTSD, and depression.
The genetic analysis confirmed that misophonia has a genetic basis. A particular genetic locus (rs2937573) was identified as being strongly associated with feeling intense rage triggered by the sound of chewing. This locus is located near the TENM2 gene, which is involved in brain development and cell adhesion. Although the specific role of this gene in hearing or emotional responses to sounds is not yet fully understood, it is a promising area for future research.
One of the key discoveries was the strong genetic correlation between misophonia and psychiatric disorders, particularly anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. Misophonia showed a significant genetic overlap with major depressive disorder as well. These findings suggest that misophonia may share underlying genetic factors with these psychiatric conditions, supporting the idea that misophonia could be classified as a psychiatric disorder.
In terms of personality traits, the study found that individuals with a genetic predisposition to misophonia were also more likely to have traits such as neuroticism, guilt, irritability, and worry.
Read more here….
A few things to note here.
First, if you have misophonia and tell people about it, be prepared for a possible, “really?” I don’t have it, but when I first met someone who did, that was my response. And I’m supposedly Mr. Understanding, who gets these sorts of things.
Intense disgust over the sound of chewing or breathing just seemed a disproportionate response.
Well, OCD and depression and PTSD could easily be interpreted by the “healthy” as just such things. To wit: checking your eggs after reading the latest recall news seems a proportionate response. Using numerous gloves and wiping your counter religiously (as I do – two or three times) after cracking perfectly fine shells – that could seem disproportionate. But our society understands contamination OCD, at some level, but misophonia deserves the same level of care and concern and empathy.
It’s not a quirk, it’s a genetically-based condition with real implications that are distressing to anyone who suffers from it.
Second thing, it’s important for Christians to note the genetics behind many of these things. The genetic role has already been well-established, but this is yet another data point showing just how significant a role genetics play in our development of conditions like anxiety, PTSD, depression, and apparently, misophonia.
The more Christians understand the genetic basis, the more caring and less judgmental they’ll be (in theory!) towards those going through these things.
If you have any of these conditions, you’ll know that the church is full of Job’s miserable comforter friends, who judged when they should have refrained, who showed arrogance and not humility, and frankly, at best, were simply naive about the way the world works.
It’s the church’s job to step inside the shoes of everyone, and only then, can we be a true Christian community.
For more information on misophonia, click here (Web Md).
More, here. (Cleveland Clinic: triggers, symptoms, treatment).
I’ve found Reddit boards to be infinitely helpful in these conditions – not as a substitute to a doctor’s diagnosis – but as a means of support and “oh, I’m not alone.” So here’s the Reddit board where you can find others who suffer from misophonia.
The American Medical Association’s info on it here.
And finally, as always…
If you struggle with any aspect of mental health…
For readers from the United States….
Find a psychiatrist here.
Find a therapist here.
For readers, internationally, seek help from a local resource.
For salvation, Christ and Christ alone.
And may God bless you and be with you, as he is me, on this journey that many don’t understand, that many judge, but that the Judge will never cast judgment on, and will always look on us with kindness.
[Painting: Luncheon of the Boating Party, Renoir]
