Why do chewing sounds drive some people up the wall?
Misophonia: diagnostic criteria for a new psychiatric disorder
Psychiatrists gave a proper name and checklist to the intense rage some people feel at the sound of chewing.
Ig Nobel 2020
Some people feel a sudden surge of anger or disgust at very specific human noises, like chewing, slurping or loud breathing. Psychiatrists in Amsterdam interviewed 42 patients with this experience in depth.
They found a shared, consistent pattern and proposed formal diagnostic criteria for misophonia, so that sufferers could finally be recognised and helped. Anyone who has quietly moved seats at the cinema because of the popcorn crunching now has a word for it.
It’s not you being fussy. It has a name.