Three of my colleagues clear their throats CONSTANTLY!

That’s all. Just wanted to alert everyone.

So I have been with my wife now for almost 15 years. I love this woman more than anything on this earth but I am at my wits end. The first 14 years of our relationship I never had any triggers with her. I’ve had misophonia most of my life and my biggest trigger is sniffling, it makes me so freaking angry but for some reason it really never bothered me with her up until this past year.

This past year I have just been on edge with her and the damn sniffing. We get into arguments all the time now when she does it constantly. I have explained to her how it makes me feel and I wish she could feel what I feel when I’m triggered. She 100 percent knows it drives me nuts yet 80 percent of the time she will tell me to “get over it” or just yell at me. I’ll ask her to blow her nose or take some medication and she gets so offended. I understand she can’t always help it and people get sick but it feels like she is good for like one week a month and the rest is just sniffing the whole time. It’s draining the every living hell outta me and our relationship. I’m just exhausted and feel like I could just walk out the door and never look back because I can’t live like this for the rest of my life.

Anyways I was wondering if anyone had any personal experience with their spouse triggering them and how you dealt/ over came it. I really don’t want to leave but it’s just insane lately. Any advice on how to get my point across so she understands would be so helpful. I totally understand it’s not like she’s never gonna sniff again but mannnn it’s been absolutely constant lately and I’m losing my mind. Thank you for any feedback!

i’ve always avoided eating anywhere near my dad or i try to stay away when he eats. In some cases i just can’t and it’s actually unbearable. he doesn’t just smack his lips, he breathes super loudly while doing it and it drives me crazy. I never told him directly but i told my mom about it and she told me that he can’t help it and i shouldn’t tell him. btw my dad wears dentures and idk if this is the case for everyone who wears them but it bothers me so bad that i actually lock myself in the bathroom and cry out of anger. It’s not even done once he’s done eating, he’ll sit and like push around the saliva in his mouth which drives me crazy even more. (he also smacks his lips while licking his teeth). I never used to have this kind of issue before and i barely noticed it when other people did it but now i can’t help it anymore. I even start noticing the lip smacking in movies or tiktoks and it actually fills me with rage. this issue is also really damaging to our relationship since i basically avoid him as much as i can, and we can barely sit next to each other for more than thirty minutes because i feel like crying.

I’m not really looking for advice on how to talk to him or anything i just wanted to see if anyone relates to this

omg also i forgot to mention this but i also started getting really angry whenever i hear a kissing noise for example when my sister kisses my mom on the cheek next to me i always end up yelling her it’s actually getting out of control

I just got off a one-hour Teams meeting while working from home. The connections were very bad and the audio was breaking up the entire time. About halfway through the meeting, I started to feel VERY physically and mentally uncomfortable. I couldn't leave the meeting because my direct report was running the meeting so I need to be on in case I have to step in for certain items. But I just got worse and worse and eventually my brain just lost it and I couldn't even sit in my chair anymore and had to pace around the room as I listened in. As soon as the meeting ended, I left my home office and vented to my wife as I paced back and forth for 10 minutes to calm myself down. This has never happened before at this bad of a reaction.

UUUGGHHHH!!!!!

some types of voices, either low or high or high PLUS a complaining tone make me super nauseous? idk if this in particular is misophonia but I do suffer from it, I have many triggers like saliva, chewing, snoring, the "whistle" s, vocal fry etc...

misophonia is ruining my life while working like keyboard typing is close to driving me insane. plus flu season is always so annoying.

any tips? i try earbuds but my coworkers typing can be heard through the music

Today i had to evacuate an express bus because everyone's 1 and 3rd person was coughing or on the phone. It wss horrible. It was a really unlucky bus pull, I switched seats 5 times before deciding i couldn't do this anymore. Usually its just one or two guys in the back, but with winter coming I guess everyone has a cough. I'm STILL shaking from it lol so sorry for typos

My current noise canceling headphones are honestly pretty mediocre and I've been looking for an upgrade.

I want to double up with ear plugs + ANC headphones but I'm scared to sink money into something that sucks. What ear plug + headphone combos have worked best for coughing sounds in loud areas like the subway or bus?

I HATE the sound of kissing. It makes me angry and turned off.
My husband still kisses me during sex and I hate it. It makes me restless and irritable. I told my husband it’s the equivalent of me showing him gay porn in the middle of sex. He still does it! How much do you expect your partner to change? Do I bring it up again?

For me this issue began in pregnancy and still hasn’t gone away even though I have given birth. I hate it but it’s my reality now. I get that it’s weird but it’s made me dread sex or any physical intimacy. I know it does something for him but it makes me dryer than the Sahara desert and I’m gritting my teeth the entire time.

Recent studies are looking at what happens outside the lab, where sounds come up in the middle of ordinary life. In a 10-day study of 40 adults, trigger sounds were followed by more anger and irritability. For most participants, those feelings eased within an hour, but people differed in how strongly they reacted and how quickly they recovered. A separate 30-day study followed 60 people through about 3,000 check-ins. It found that symptoms and emotion-regulation experiences could shift over time for the same person.

That doesn’t mean emotion-regulation difficulties cause misophonia. The studies show an association, and they give researchers a better look at how reactions change from one moment to another.

A 2026 study of sound features found that a model could explain 76% of the variation in participants’ discomfort ratings for sounds in the FOAMS dataset. The features linked to discomfort differed between listeners. Even sounds in the same broad category could affect people differently. This is an early research finding, not a test that can diagnose misophonia or reliably predict every person’s triggers.

Research with children is also growing. In one treatment-seeking sample of 95 young people, eating sounds were the most common triggers. Irritation, anger, and anxiety about anticipated sounds were common responses. A separate study of 214 young people receiving mental-health care found that about 31% scored above its cut-off for probable misophonia. These clinic samples help describe the needs of young people who seek care, but they can’t tell us how common misophonia is among all children.

Researchers are still working out how to measure misophonia consistently. In a German population survey, 33.3% of adults reported sensitivity to at least one sound on the study’s measure. Far fewer had scores in its more severe categories. Sensitivity to a sound, by itself, doesn’t mean someone has a disorder or significant impairment.

There are early treatment results, but they need follow-up. In a randomized study of 85 participants, some measures favored immediate use of an app over delayed use after 15 days. Participants in both groups improved after they received the app. A review of CBT-based treatments found that many studies reported improvement, but most were small or lacked a control group. We still need stronger studies to find out which approaches help, who they help, and whether the changes last.

People can have strong reactions to particular sounds or related cues. The triggers vary between people. The response can involve emotion, physical sensations, thoughts, and actions. Anticipating a sound or knowing who is making it may matter too.

Misophonia can affect daily life, including relationships, school, work, and social situations. It can occur alongside hyperacusis, but studies suggest the two can involve different kinds of sound intolerance. Studies also find links between misophonia and other psychological or sensory difficulties. Those links don’t show that one causes the other.

Brain imaging studies report differences between groups in areas and connections involved in salience, hearing, movement, and control. They are still exploratory; a brain scan cannot diagnose misophonia.

We know enough to take people’s distress and its impact seriously. We don’t yet have one agreed way to measure every aspect of misophonia, or large, well-controlled treatment studies that answer what works best.

Selected studies

• Shan et al. (2026), real-time emotional responses: doi:10.1016/j.jad.2026.121429
• Pavlacic et al. (2026), emotion regulation and experience sampling: doi:10.1016/j.heares.2026.109709
• Clonan et al. (2026), sound features and discomfort: doi:10.1016/j.heares.2025.109478
• Pfeiffer et al. (2025), population survey in Germany: doi:10.1007/s00127-024-02707-0
• Rappoldt et al. (2026), children and adolescents: doi:10.1177/00099228261467192
• Podoly et al. (2025), randomized app-based intervention: doi:10.1016/j.jad.2025.03.060
• Detroy et al. (2026), review of CBT-based treatments: doi:10.1016/j.heares.2026.109661

I have suddenly discovered the magic of headphones for quieting the world (yes I'm almost 50 years old, leave me alone lol), but I can NOT find a pair that works for me. The problem is that apparently I have a small head, so none of the mainstream options fit. The best Bose, Sony, etc, all fall off my head and the cups don't create enough of a seal for the noise cancelling to really work because they fall below my jaw. I'm hoping that someone has a magical suggestion for me because I'm running out of choices! I MUST have an option with the best possible noise cancelling, as that's the entire point for me. The biggest thing I want to mute is *lawn mowers and leaf blowers*, which seems to add a wrinkle with the high whine of leaf blowers.

I also can NOT use earbuds, so I'm looking for over ears, as along with my small head I have misshapen ear canals and all buds hurt terribly. Yes I've tried replacing the ear pieces with the smallest foam ones available, and no dice. Oh! And I can't use on ears because they trigger my MCAS. Fun!!

Tried and fit, but with terrible noise cancelling:

1. Beats studio pro

2. Anker Q20i (actually not terrible but so weak as to be not particularly useful)

Tried and too big:

1. Bose QuietComfort first gen

2. Sony XM5s

Not tried but in all likelihood too big:

1. Apple Max pro

En route to try:

1. Anker space one pro

On my list to try but hoping for Black Friday sales because :

1. Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S3

Maybe but unsure about size and ANC:

1. Sennheiser accentum plus

Any other thoughts?? Thanks in advance!!

What do you do personally? Do you say something and ask them to chew quieter, avoid them, only do non food related things? How do people react when you say something, if you do?

For the entirety of my adulthood, I’ve either avoided food related outings entirely or avoided people I know who eat loudly. No comment usually unless we were friends for a long time. Even then, I’d mention it once or twice and then avoid them if they kept doing it.

I’ve had his one group of friends for 10-15 years, and now I’m comfortable asking them to be a little more mindful occasionally, and they are so incredibly nice and accommodating.

What pushes me to write this post is that I have another friend group who is relatively new and very very bad about this. Like, I wear the strongest loop earplugs and I still hear them chewing five feet away. When they talk, they talk quieter than they eat so I can’t hear a word they say without listening to their smacking. I would ordinarily have only planned non food things with them, or in all honesty avoided them by now, but they’re my husband’s closest friends.

I’m kind of at a loss. When they get their food I go hide in the bathroom wherever we are until I think they might be done eating. I sit as far from them as I can. I’ve accepted that I won’t be able to hear conversation anymore and I just tune everything out.

I just don’t feel comfortable telling them I have this problem yet. Historically, whenever I do, people are really mean/rude about it so I’ve kept it secret except my closest friends.

I’ll try to keep this short, not trying to vent or bore anyone with a rant. I’m 42 (male) and have had misophonia since I was 7. My main trigger is speech related, hissing “s” sounds. I’m from Seattle, and started noticing this in the mid 2000s. I moved to Chicago for the 2010s, and that particular trigger was almost nonexistent. Moved back to Seattle in 2020, and over the last few years that hissing “s” has become completely unavoidable.

I swore off restaurants in 2022, and now I’m at the point where I’ve sworn off any and all social/public activities that involve anybody I don’t already personally know. Which is basically everything. I’ve had too many events/gatherings that I’ve had to straight up leave because of that trigger. I’m now feeling a new kind of hopelessness. Last time I checked, isolation isn’t exactly sustainable. But I don’t know what to do. As I write this, I should be meeting with a friend out in the world like we did every Wednesday, but instead I’m sitting at home having absolutely no idea how to manage this issue.

I’m single, have been for over seven years, am incredibly depressed about it, and have zero way to meet anyone, what with this trigger being so prevalent and inescapable. I’m seeing a really lonely life out in front of me.

Any advice from long-term sufferers whose life is basically run by misophonia is very, very welcome. Thanks.

I love kissing and I love my partner but the noises trigger me so badly and I can’t do it for very long without having to stop
Is this a common thing and does anyone do anything to help them manage it ?☹️

Hello!

I work with a lot of young women who have the Kardashian-style “vocal fry” way of speaking. To my ear, it sounds like they have a blob of mucus stuck in their throats that they just can’t clear. There’s often a bored, drawn-out quality to their voices, almost a “LA girl” affect, combined with that upward inflection at the end of every sentence. You know what I mean, right???!!!

For some reason, this particular way of speaking really sets me off. I find myself getting so distracted and irritated by it that it can be difficult for me to even engage in a conversation with someone who speaks this way.

Clearly, the issue is with my reaction, and I recognize that. I don’t want to be so bothered by something as simple as someone’s speaking style, especially when it affects my ability to connect with people.
Has anyone else experienced this? I’d genuinely appreciate advice on how to manage my reaction and become less triggered by certain vocal patterns. I want to understand why it bothers me so much and learn how to move past it.

this is one of my worst triggers as someone who gets the bus and train regularly. there will always be someone on the carriage shamelessly blasting their phone, whether it’s a youtube video, music, tiktok, or even a tv show. it genuinely drives me insane.

i wonder how this will be enforced though. i keep seeing people in comments saying it’s unnecessary and ‘not that deep’ but they don’t understand how annoying it is for people like us. they don’t care

Would love some Carrie-like telekinesis when they go by.

My parents both need a lot of care from me, 33F, as of late due to my mom sustaining a recent back injury. My dad has been dealing with a chronic cough for about five years now. I have had to sleep at their house to provide them company and help out, but my dad’s cough is driving me crazy. He doesn’t sleep until about midnight and he stays in the living room coughing all night - coughing to the point of hacking and bringing up phlegm. I feel horrible complaining about this because he’s in so much pain, and I want to help him, but I get so intensely triggered. I end up wearing headphones most of the day with music playing, which isn’t really conducive to giving them company or even helping them. Ear plugs somewhat help at night, but during the day his coughing is so loud that I can hear it anyways.

I’ve seen a few posts on here through the years of people struggling with ailing family members due to misophonia, and I’m unfortunately in that position now. I guess any tips/tricks would be helpful, and mainly here to get this off my chest.

You can find past Misophonia conferences and events for free below. In the past, these events were paid access, but to help provide education and resources for misophonia, we have released them all for free. Please consider donating to help us provide these resources to the public for free in the future (we are a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit). All videos are free and available via youtube. You can also find them all in one easy to find playlist link:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbNo8869tE4o

Our Misophonia Conferences

2026 IMF Misophonia Conference: Helping Children Cope with Misophonia

 https://youtu.be/Ku0ahNFj8uE

2025 Misophonia Conference: Living With Misophonia & Current Research

 https://youtu.be/GR4qSPAf-Aw

2025 Misophonia Matters May Conference 

 https://youtu.be/3fwpIMT1zDA

https://youtu.be/ts3r0JV6JmE

https://youtu.be/e8V7xULkMcs

2024 Misophonia Matters May Conference

 https://youtu.be/HVaTPCBmNN8

https://youtu.be/LzqPKCIQ1F8

https://youtu.be/iaQyOqXvE6k

https://youtu.be/6fPvsk82ctE

https://youtu.be/Ml3uYxbThxs

Misophonia Research Videos

https://youtu.be/D2J2Peno7JM?si=WXf89J0Pky6a14N6

https://youtu.be/l6RsUoAc7MU?si=tdPDEPpAkmBYfM3

I'm neurodivergent and I've been trying to understand one particularly peculiar sensitivity I've had since I was a kid.

I generally have no problem with prerecorded music, given it's specifically what I like, but hearing people sing IRL, with or without a microphone, can make me internally recoil. It doesn't necessarily matter whether they're good singers. When someone spontaneously starts singing, I have no idea what their pitch, pronunciation, vocal quality or volume will be like.

Oddly enough, I was comfortable singing in unison with classmates I'd grew up with because their voices were familiar.

One summer when I was 10, my second cousins and I printed out lyrics to High School Musical songs. Despite being obsessed with the movie, I couldn't bring myself to sing with them. Their accents were unfamiliar, and hearing them sing for the first time made me internally scream. I eventually banged on a door, much to everyone's bewilderment.

I also ran out of a family karaoke session at 12 or 13 and have declined invitations well into adulthood (I'm 30f). Even politely declining by saying I was exhausted or happy watching from the sidelines could sour the atmosphere, along with equally annoying pleading and convincing.

My mom, who's been my sole advocate, understandably questioned why I could enjoy controversial artists like Chris Brown and commercial hip hop but recoil someone singing in front of me.

She'd sometimes spontaneously belt out songs off-key (no disrespect intended), and I'd just have a neutral expression. When she asked whether she sounded bad or if I was annoyed, I couldn't explain myself without hurting her feelings.

Watching someone sing uninhibitedly can trigger a reaction that radiates through every bone and blood vessel in my body. I can enjoy spontaneity in other contexts, although random singing is off limits for me. If I have to run like I'm being chased by the cops to get the secondhand embarrassment out of my body, I will. LOL.

I don't begrudge anyone the joy of singing or expect them to share my musical preferences. The reaction feels involuntary, and I've spent years trying to suppress something I couldn't even explain. I'm more drawn to musicality, although lyrics matter too especially when they venture into brain-rot territory. Also I do listen to some pretty controversial folks like Chris Brown LOL.

It’s driving me insane I can literally feel it even if I can’t hear it and it’s so loud and deep thumps, I have social anxiety so there’s no way I’d confront them. I just don’t know how ppl are so inconsiderate to others. I was literally on the toilet and it felt like a little earthquake of a thump from upstairs (or downstairs idk) it’s genuinely insane. It’s like they’re 600 pounds and jumping around Jesus Christ dude

Is it just me or Kylie Jenner’s speaking style really triggers my misophonia really really badly, all the sss sound of her words, i don’t know how to explain it😭

I’m relatively new with misophonia diagnosis, but it turned up so suddenly. primarily with eating, as well as breathing or other typical functions like hiccuping. I‘ve talked to everyone I’m in close quarters with about it, but they seem to frequently take it personally, and weirdly it is personal. some people trigger me and, weirdly, some don‘t, but the ones that do seem to bother me repeatedly and near daily. I can’t just eat or go elsewhere most of the time, and closing my ears hardly ever works. I‘m also frequently triggering myself now with eating, not to a dangerous point but I typically end up hiding in bed or crying for a while. It started out very typical, but now I feel like it’s affecting a huge part of my life and my stress levels are through the roof. I end up panicking severely at the tiniest things. idk, I know there’s different processes for different people, but does anyone have words of advice? anything even to help deal with being able to eat alone without triggering myself.

Ever since I can remember I have absolutely not been able to stand snoring. I don’t know when it started but I started to black out it was so triggering to my brain. Snoring genuinely causes me so much stress and anger and fear, I don’t know why. I fully understand people cannot control it but it is 3 am in the morning and I can’t sleep. I miss cuddling, I crave the touch, but I genuinely cannot be around the noise I’m scared of what I might do. I become so unreasonably angry, I have to leave the room, I can’t sleep. It’s been days and I sleep at 5-6AM in the morning because my partner snores so horribly.

It changes so often which I think is why it causes so much mental distress, between wet clicking noises in the front of their throat, to deep growling snores that shake the bed. I can hear them through ear plugs, I’m genuinely suffering. I’ve gone to therapy, and they say it must be linked to my past, but I cannot think of why SNORING of all things would get this much of a reaction out of me. I don’t react like this to screaming or even being hit, but snoring causes me so much RAGE. What the fuck do I do???