For the longest of time, we’ve wondered why in the world does the sound of chewing trigger us so badly. In fact, it even extends as far as lip smacking, loud sipping, and even just the sound of eating in general.
Sometimes, we get so annoyed by it that we escalate into a mode of pure rage. Now, some might think that it’s just a tiny little issue and those getting angry about it are just overreacting.
Or perhaps some might reason that it is purely out of difference in culture. You see, in many Asian countries such as South Korea, Japan, China, etc, slurping loudly is considered respect and appreciation to the chefs.
Eating quietly may seem like one is not enjoying their food. Meanwhile, in most Western cultures, making any noise at all during meal time is very rude.
Well, it has been proven by professionals to be an actual psychiatric disorder!
This condition is called Misophonia. It literally means the hatred of sound but it applies mostly to people who are sensitive to certain types of noise, Unilad reported.
Experts ran tests which have shown that these sounds are none other than ‘mouthly noises’ such as chewing, lip smacking, etc.
The people whom were considered to have misophonia showed greater response to these noises while those without which proves that it is indeed not a common reaction.
To make matters worse, suppressing our anger or telling ourselves to keep calm when we hear such sounds actually has negative side effects.
Thankfully, there is a way to help with this condition and it doesn’t involve any medication.
Dr. Pawel Jastreboff uses the positive reinforcement method which helps retrain the brain to associate positive feelings and thoughts with negative triggers such as those annoying sounds we hate.
So the next time you hear some nasty chewing or awful slurping, think of something that makes you happy instead.
