WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: Why Do Some Noises Drive Me Crazy?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, I'm Lauren vog Obaum, and today's episode is

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<v Speaker 1>a classic from our former host, Christian Segar. This is

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<v Speaker 1>one that's near and dear to a few of my

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<v Speaker 1>coworkers in our aggressively open office space. Why do some

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<v Speaker 1>noises drive me crazy? Hey brain Stuff, it's Christian Seger.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you want to strangle people who chew with their

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<v Speaker 1>mouth open? Does the sound of slurping noodles drive you mad?

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<v Speaker 1>What about chewing gum, heavy breathing, frequent sighing, or chronic snoring?

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<v Speaker 1>Does the sound of flatwear dragging and clinking across a

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<v Speaker 1>plate fill you with unending rage? If so, you might

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<v Speaker 1>just have miss aphonia and you're not alone. But what

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<v Speaker 1>is it? There are still a lot of questions about

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<v Speaker 1>this relatively new diagnosis, but we know that some sounds

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<v Speaker 1>drive certain people acutely bonkers. And I am not talking

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<v Speaker 1>about slight annoyances or just getting irritated. I'm talking about

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<v Speaker 1>having certain sounds trigger powerful and intense feelings, ranging from

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>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 doctor 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. A. Gay R. Moehler

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>rather than an auditory disorder. Powell Jasterboff believes that people

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<v Speaker 1>can't be born with miss aphonia, but that there might

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

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<v Speaker 1>it develops in late childhood and early adolescence and worsens

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<v Speaker 1>over time. Miss Aphonia is also often confused with other

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<v Speaker 1>ailments such as O, C, D, phobic disorders, or hyperacusis.

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<v Speaker 1>People with hyperacusis are overly sensitive to certain frequencies or

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<v Speaker 1>ranges of sound. However, if you have miss aphonia, the

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<v Speaker 1>volume of your trigger sound probably doesn't matter. Miss Aphonia

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<v Speaker 1>can develop from a range of possible factors, and patients

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<v Speaker 1>with other audio disorders can also develop the condition. According

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<v Speaker 1>to audiologist Miriam Westcott, tonitus sufferers can also develop miss

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<v Speaker 1>aphonia over time. Westcott argues that some causes for miss

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<v Speaker 1>aphonia may include an obsession with sounds that irritated or

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<v Speaker 1>scared you in childhood, pointing to a possible psychological factor. So,

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<v Speaker 1>all right, if we put all of this together, then

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<v Speaker 1>it seems that experts agree on a few things. One,

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<v Speaker 1>people with miss aphonia aren't just cranky jerks. They have

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<v Speaker 1>no control over their reaction to miss aphonia develops over time,

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<v Speaker 1>and three it may likely be caused by multiple factors.

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<v Speaker 1>And there's a little bad news at this point. There's

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<v Speaker 1>no universally recognized and effective treatment from miss aphonia. So

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<v Speaker 1>if the sound of snoring, smacking, and other mouth noises

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<v Speaker 1>turns you into a monster, then you'll be glad to

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<v Speaker 1>know that research on miss aphonia continues as I'm speaking

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<v Speaker 1>to you. Organizations in the United Kingdom have launched miss

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<v Speaker 1>Aphonia Monday to raise awareness for this condition. Today's episode

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<v Speaker 1>was written by Ben Bolan and produced by Tyler Clang.

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<v Speaker 1>Brain Stuff is production of iHeart Radios How Stuff Works.

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<v Speaker 1>For more in this and lots of other topics, visit

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<v Speaker 1>our home planet how stuff Works dot com. Plus for

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<v Speaker 1>more podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app,

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<v Speaker 1>Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.