Phenomenology of Misophonia: Initial Physical and Emotional Responses

Misophonia is typically characterized as an extreme emotional response to auditory and visual stimuli. In several case studies, physical responses have also been reported. This study sought to determine whether adults with misophonia experience physical responses in addition to emotional responses in the presence of triggering stimuli. Twenty-seven adults with misophonia were interviewed via teleconferencing. Participants self-reported the presence of physical and emotional responses to triggers (i.e., two auditory and one visual). All participants reported physical responses to at least 1 of their triggers. There was great variation in the region of the physical responses across participants. Approximately half of the sample reported region consistency across triggers. Likewise, all participants reported emotional responses to at least 1 of their triggers. These results suggest including an immediate physical response as part of the conceptualization of misophonia. They also support classical conditioning of a physical response as a possible contributing mechanism for the etiology of misophonia.