第1596期:What is misophonia?

There are some sounds most of us acknowledge are irritating – the crunching of crisps, the humming of the air conditioning or a screaming baby. These noises, for many people, act as a mere inconvenience that can distract us from the task at hand. However, there are some amongst us who have a much more severe response to these noises. The question we ask today is: has a noise ever made you feel so angry that you could explode with rage? If the answer is yes, you may be suffering from misophonia.

我们大多数人都承认有些声音很烦人——薯片的嘎吱声、空调的嗡嗡声或婴儿的尖叫声。对许多人来说，这些噪音只是一种不便，可以分散我们手头任务的注意力。然而，我们当中有些人对这些噪音的反应要严重得多。我们今天要问的问题是：有没有声音让你感到愤怒到气得要爆炸？如果答案是肯定的，您可能患有恐音症。

The word ‘misophonia’ literally means ‘a hatred of sound’ and is sometimes called Selective Sound Sensitivity Syndrome. There are some experts who doubt the existence of the condition. However, for those who claim to suffer from it, the experience can be traumatic. Certain sounds trigger intense emotional or psychological responses that may seem over the top compared with a non-sufferer’s complaints.

“恐音症”这个词的字面意思是“对声音的仇恨”，有时被称为选择性声音敏感综合症。有一些专家怀疑这种情况的存在。然而，对于那些声称遭受它的人来说，这种经历可能是创伤性的。某些声音会引发强烈的情绪或心理反应，与非患者的抱怨相比，这些反应可能显得过于夸张。

The sound of a loved one chewing their food could trigger a sufferer’s anxiety levels, or cause them to panic. It may even activate their fight-or-flight reflexes, making them want to flee. In extreme cases, that feeling of panic may result in intense bouts of fury and end up with sufferers going berserk.

亲人咀嚼食物的声音可能会引发患者的焦虑程度，或引起他们的恐慌。它甚至可能激活他们的战斗或逃跑反应，使他们想要逃跑。在极端情况下，这种恐慌感可能会导致强烈的愤怒情绪，最终导致患者发狂。

Sadly, there’s no known cure. Tinnitus retraining therapy, which helps people tolerate noises, may aid sufferers, while cognitive behavioural therapy and counselling could also help people manage the condition. According to James Cartreine, a clinical psychiatrist, the condition can lead to isolation. Sufferers use coping strategies that include avoiding places with lots of noises, like restaurants, or moving away when they feel like lashing out at someone due to their breathing.

可悲的是，没有已知的治疗方法。耳鸣再训练疗法可以帮助人们忍受噪音，可能会帮助患者，而认知行为疗法和咨询也可以帮助人们控制病情。根据临床精神病学家詹姆斯卡特雷纳的说法，这种情况可能导致孤立。患者使用的应对策略包括避免去有很多噪音的地方，比如餐馆，或者当他们因为呼吸而想对某人猛烈抨击时离开。

So, the next time you see someone fly into a rage because of a sound that is driving them crazy, it may be due to a difficult condition they are trying to manage, and not just because they loathe a certain sound.

所以，下次你看到有人因为某种让他们发疯的声音而大发雷霆时，可能是因为他们正试图应对困难的情况，而不仅仅是因为他们讨厌某种声音。

词汇表

irritating 令人厌烦的
crunching 嘎吱地咬嚼声
humming 嗡嗡声
screaming 尖叫的
noise 噪音
rage 暴怒，狂怒
hatred 憎恨
Selective Sound Sensitivity Syndrome 选择性声音敏感综合症
traumatic 造成精神创伤的，痛苦难忘的
trigger 引起
anxiety 焦虑，不安
panic 使…惊慌
fight-or-flight 战斗或逃跑，或战或退
fury 狂怒
berserk 发狂的，暴跳如雷的
lash out 发怒，斥责
drive somebody crazy 使某人发疯、恼怒
loathe 憎恨，厌恶