Misophonia, a condition where individuals experience extreme emotional responses to specific sounds, has recently been linked to genetic factors associated with anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a new study.
While many people may find nails scraping against a chalkboard unpleasant, those with misophonia often react intensely to common sounds such as slurping, snoring, breathing, and chewing. A recent survey indicates that misophonia may be more widespread than previously believed.
Researchers at the University of Amsterdam, led by psychiatrist Dirk Smit, analyzed genetic data from several databases, including the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, UK Biobank, and 23andMe. Their findings revealed that individuals who self-reported having misophonia were more likely to possess genetic markers linked to psychiatric disorders and tinnitus.
Tinnitus, characterized by a persistent ringing in the ears, has also been associated with psychological symptoms of anxiety and depression. “We found a significant overlap with PTSD genetics,” Smit noted in an interview with Eric W. Dolan at PsyPost. “This suggests that the genetic predisposition to PTSD may also increase susceptibility to misophonia, pointing to a shared neurobiological system that influences both conditions. This could imply that treatment strategies for PTSD might also benefit those suffering from misophonia.”
Importantly, the study does not assert that misophonia and these psychiatric conditions share identical mechanisms; rather, it indicates that some genetic risk factors may overlap.
Previous studies have shown that individuals experiencing misophonia often internalize their distress. The current research reinforces this notion, highlighting strong associations between misophonia and personality traits such as worry, guilt, loneliness, and neuroticism.
Responses to triggering sounds can vary widely, ranging from irritation and anger to significant distress that disrupts daily life. Smit and his team emphasized that “misophonia may stem more from feelings of guilt related to the irritation and anger provoked by these sounds than from outward expressions of anger that contribute to the distress.”
Interestingly, the study found that individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) were less likely to experience misophonia, which contradicts the expectation that individuals with ASD would have a lower tolerance for certain sounds. The researchers state, “Our findings suggest that misophonia and ASD are relatively independent disorders concerning genetic variation. This raises the possibility that alternative forms of misophonia may exist, primarily influenced by conditioning anger or other negative emotions associated with specific triggering sounds, moderated by personality traits.”
However, Smit and his colleagues caution that their findings may be limited by the primarily European demographic of their data, suggesting that similar genetic links might not be present in other populations. Additionally, as misophonia was self-reported and not formally diagnosed within their sample, this could potentially distort the results.
Nonetheless, the study provides valuable insights and lays the groundwork for further exploration into the biological mechanisms underlying misophonia.
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