Sounds

Misophonia. The term was coined (I don't know when) by a couple of sweet American neuroscientists. The word means 'hatred of sound'. If it is an actual disorder, then I'm afflicted with it.

There are certain everyday audio stimulants that make me want to cover my ears, scream, and hastily vacate the room. Mouth noises, for one. Especially a mouth that has far too much saliva churning about as it tries to say stuff. I know I've brought this up before. It just reeeeaaally bothers me. I try not to visibly cringe when it happens. I know it would be uncouth of me to ask a person if he/she wouldn't mind speaking a little less wetly, so I try my best to appear unruffled until the conversation ends. It's most excruciating when I'm stuck in the car with an offender. There's nowhere to run! =/

Other mouth sounds that annoy me are:

- Chewing. If the food is crunchy in nature, it doesn't bother me; but anything that sloshes?
Get. me. out. of. there! Sometimes I can hardly bear to hear myself eating.

- Teeth chomping down on or hitting against an eating utensil.

- "Macaroni mouth". Anyone who's ever been in a meeting with a moist-mouthed orator and a
microphone knows what I'm talking about. When the words come out, suddenly the only thing listeners are aware of is the sound of someone stirring a warm vat of macaroni. But there is no macaroni. Just an overly emotional mouth.

I can't think of any other sounds that really make me feel enraged.

Now, I don't mean to be so negative. So I will go ahead and list some sounds I enjoy:

- A car slowly driving over gravel.

- Music boxes. I have always loved the dainty tunes they emit. I find them very pleasing to my ears.

- The sound of someone writing on a chalkboard  (all except the accidental screeches, of course).

- I think it's cute when people really pronounce the "g" at the end of a word. I can only think of  two gals I've ever heard do this, and it just struck me as odd. Yet acceptable. =)

- I like the sound of my hair swishing past my ears when I'm doing jumping jacks, running, etc.  I haven't heard that since I started going to the gym. It's too noisy in there with the music blasting in the classes.

- The sound of library books opening. Like when a librarian or somebody holds up the book so the
kids can see the pictures as she reads it aloud. It has to be a book with that plastic/mylar stuff encasing it. That's the part that makes the sound I love.

- Expensive camera taking pictures. I like the sound of the shutter. =)

- I love hearing Oliver laugh at cartoons. Or at anything. I just love his giggles.

- Oldies! I can't get enough of them lately. I like how so many of them have the catchy tunes, crisp harmonies, and cheesy lyrics. Much of the current music cannot offer those features. I'm not saying I don't like today's hits, but they sometimes make me feel "different" than I otherwise could be. Anyway, 99.5 FM is my "go-to" radio station. Those songs brighten my mood every time I listen (except for the ones I can't stand). =)  Oldies are so stinking fun to sing along to.

But sometimes I like the sound of silence. The song (by Simon and Garfunkel) and/or the absence of noise. Quiet is nice. But when it isn't, I'm glad there are so many sounds around to delight my ears.

I'll keep them handy in my heart for when I have one of those scary misophonia flare-ups.



 

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