What is phonophobia?
Misophonia, or the fear of sound, is a condition that causes the brain to go into overdrive. This disorder causes the sufferer to have an exaggerated and negative reaction to sounds that are normal to others, such as chewing or breathing.
Many people find it annoying to hear annoying sounds every day. But for people with Misophonia, the annoyance can be so extreme that they can have extreme actions such as screaming or smashing things just because of the sound of lip smacking or pen clicking.
What causes phonophobia?
Currently, doctors have not been able to determine the cause of noise allergy. However, according to doctors, this disease appears due to both psychological and physical reasons.
The disease is often related to the way sound affects the brain and triggers the body's involuntary reflexes because the connection in the brain that processes sound stimuli and creates responses when in danger is disrupted. The brain will decide the importance of the sound heard.
“It is thought that over-connectivity between brain regions that process sound, memory and emotion may be a precursor to this phonophobia,” explains Dr Sharma (India).
Symptoms of phonophobia, noise allergy
Symptoms of mild phonophobia:
- Uncomfortable
- Excessive worry
- Stay away from objects that make unpleasant sounds.
Symptoms of severe phonophobia:
- Scared
- Angry
- Anguished
- Hate the person who makes the sound
- Panic
Although phonophobia and noise allergy are not life-threatening, they affect the daily lives of sufferers.
People with Misophonia always show signs of anxiety and restlessness when entering noisy places with many unpleasant sounds. When suffering from this condition, people may avoid gatherings, eating in crowded places such as restaurants or even not wanting to eat with family members due to fear of loud noises.
