WEBVTT - Why do some noises drive me crazy?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works. Hey, brain stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>it's Christian Seger. Do you want to strangle people who

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<v Speaker 1>chew with their mouth open? Does the sound of slurping

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<v Speaker 1>noodles drive you mad? What about chewing gum, heavy breathing,

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<v Speaker 1>frequent sighing, or chronic snoring? Does the sound of flatwear

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<v Speaker 1>dragging and clinking across a plate fill you with unending rage?

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<v Speaker 1>If so, you might just have mis aphonia and you're

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<v Speaker 1>not alone. But what is it? There are still a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of questions about this relatively new diagnosis, but we

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<v Speaker 1>know that some sounds drive certain people acutely bonkers. And

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<v Speaker 1>I am not talking about slight annoyances or just getting irritated.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm talking about having certain sounds trigger powerful and intense feelings,

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<v Speaker 1>ranging from panic and anxiety to anger and yes, even arousal.

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<v Speaker 1>If ordinary irritation would be a three on a one

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<v Speaker 1>to ten scale, then this stuff is more of a twelve,

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<v Speaker 1>or if you ask someone with miss aphonia, a two million.

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<v Speaker 1>The list of trigger sounds goes on. Plosive pas like

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<v Speaker 1>the sounds of pop, kiss, noises, plastic bags, and even

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<v Speaker 1>pouring water can all make miss aphonius sufferers furious, so

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<v Speaker 1>what exactly is going on here? The term miss aphonia

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<v Speaker 1>means hatred of sounds, and it was made by two neuroscientists,

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<v Speaker 1>Powell and Margaret Jasterboff. Most experts believe that miss aphonia

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<v Speaker 1>is a neurological problem rather than a problem with an

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<v Speaker 1>individual's hearing system. In Dr Judith Kraudhammer argued that the

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<v Speaker 1>problem could be traced back to areas of the brain

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<v Speaker 1>called the insular cortex and the anterior singulated cortex. A

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<v Speaker 1>dysfunctional assessment of neural signals in the brain triggers this

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<v Speaker 1>intense discomfort. Interestingly enough, these areas are also hubs for

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<v Speaker 1>processing anger, pain, and sensory information. There are competing views

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<v Speaker 1>of the causes of miss aphonia. Aga R. Moehler believes

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<v Speaker 1>that the dysfunction is in the central nervous system, that

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<v Speaker 1>it's hardwired in people and is a physiological abnormality rather

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<v Speaker 1>than an auditory disorder. Powell Jasterboff believes that people can't

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<v Speaker 1>be born with miss aphonia, but that there might be

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<v Speaker 1>a genetic factor in the mix. Currently, experts think it

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<v Speaker 1>develops in late childhood and early adolescence and worsens over time.

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<v Speaker 1>Miss Aphonia is also often confused with other ailments, such

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<v Speaker 1>as O, C, D, phobic disorders, or hyperacusis. People with

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<v Speaker 1>hyperacusis are overly sensitive to certain frequencies or ranges of sound. However,

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<v Speaker 1>if you have miss aphonia, the volume of your trigger

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<v Speaker 1>sound probably doesn't matter. Miss Aphonia can develop from a

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<v Speaker 1>range of possible factors, and patients with other audio disorders

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<v Speaker 1>can also develop the condition. According to audiologist Miriam Westcott,

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<v Speaker 1>tonitus sufferers can also develop miss aphonia over time. Westcott

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<v Speaker 1>argues that some causes for miss aphonia may include an

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<v Speaker 1>obsession with sounds that irritated or scared you in childhood,

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<v Speaker 1>pointing to a possible psychological factor. So all right, if

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<v Speaker 1>we put all of this together, then it seems that

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<v Speaker 1>experts agree on a few things. One, people with miss

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<v Speaker 1>aphonia aren't just cranky jerks. They have no control over

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<v Speaker 1>their reaction to miss Aphonia develops over time. And three

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<v Speaker 1>it may likely be caused by multiple factors. And there's

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<v Speaker 1>a little bad news at this point. There's no universally

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<v Speaker 1>recognized and effective treatment from miss aphonia. So if the

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<v Speaker 1>sound of snoring, smack, and other mouth noises turns you

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<v Speaker 1>into a monster. Then you'll be glad to know that

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<v Speaker 1>research on miss aphonia continues as I'm speaking to you.

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<v Speaker 1>Organizations in the United Kingdom have launched miss Aphonia Monday

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<v Speaker 1>to raise awareness for this condition. Check out the brain

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<v Speaker 1>stuff channel on YouTube, and for more on this and

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<v Speaker 1>thousands of other topics, visit how stuff works dot com.