The Root Causes of Misophonia: Ten Topics for Formal Study

Introduction This article presents the results of some of my informal surveys and speculations from my private clinical psychotherapy practice regarding causes of misophonia and its possible relationship to family dynamics and other non-auditory factors. My hope is that researchers might take these as a starting point and conduct formal studies to verify or dismiss my informal results. My observations and relevant surveys address ten key questions and speculations about the root causes of misophonia. Understanding the causes of this complex disorder will lead to better treatments and possibly even prevent its development. Material and methods Following a brief section on context and background of existing research, ten proposed topics are presented for possible future research: Ancient brain; Genetics/ twins; Epigenetics/ family; Religion; Personality type; Trauma; Intelligence/ neural pruning; Gender expectations; Perinatal factors; Other considerations. Results The background for each of the ten topics is followed by a rationale for further exploration. Conclusions In the short number of years since misophonia was first identified as a distinct disorder, there has been increasing interest into more clearly defining the condition, and many studies have looked for potential causes. There is now ample evidence that it exists, but it is not yet clear why. So as to better understand this complex condition, this article proposes fertile avenues for future research.