What is misophonia? January Jones reveals lifelong condition her family thinks is funny
“Mad Men” star January Jones, 47, has revealed her lifelong struggle with misophonia, a disorder characterized by an extreme sensitivity to sound that can disrupt daily life and social interactions.In an Instagram video posted Thursday, Jones said, “I’d like to talk about something that I’ve been struggling with my whole life, which is called misophonia.My whole life.
And it’s gotten progressively worse over the years.” The mother of one isn’t alone in this battle.Here’s everything you need to know about misophonia, which is estimated to affect up to 20% of Americans.
People with misophonia are emotionally affected by common sounds.These sonic triggers are usually made by others and can include, but are not limited to, breathing, yawning, lip smacking or chewing, and repetitive noises such as finger tapping and pen clicking.Hearing these sounds or related triggers generates a strong, unpleasant fight-or-flight reaction.Emotional responses can include anger, anxiety, disgust, fear and irritation.
Physical effects can manifest as tightness in the chest, increased heart rate and blood pressure, sweating and goosebumps.Meanwhile, behavioral reactions to these sounds can include avoiding or leaving situations where triggers may be present, talking to or yelling at the person responsible for the sound and engaging in violent or nonviolent interventions to stop it.Some people with misophonia have only one trigger sound, while others have several.Reactions to this trigger, or to triggers, fall on a spectrum of severity.
Some can’t control their emotions but can regulate their responses, while others struggle to manage both.For Jones, one such trigger is the crunching sound of chips being chewed.“I have a brother-in-law whose favorite food is chips.Just all the time, eating chips,” she said. “And he seems to think it’s funny to eat chips around me now, because it’s an ongoing joke to see what happens and see what I do.”Noting that rea...