If chewing, lip smacking or close breathing in ASMR videos makes you tense or angry instead of relaxed, you're not alone, and you may be experiencing misophonia. Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific sounds, and the sounds that trigger it most often are mouth and eating sounds, which are also popular ASMR triggers.
The two seem to be related: both involve unusually strong emotional reactions to particular sounds, and research suggests they often show up in the same people. The good news is that most ASMR doesn't involve mouth sounds at all. Here's what's going on, and how to find ASMR that works for you.
What is misophonia?
In 2022, a panel of 15 experts agreed on a consensus definition: misophonia is a disorder of decreased tolerance to specific sounds, or to things associated with those sounds (Swedo et al., 2022). Key points from that definition:
- Triggers are usually repetitive and come from other people, especially from the human body.
- Mouth sounds are among the most reported: chewing, eating and swallowing. Nose and breathing sounds, such as sniffing, are also common. Other triggers include keyboard typing, foot tapping and clock ticking, and even visual ones like someone swinging a leg.
- The reaction is emotional and physical. Anger, irritation, disgust and anxiety are the most common feelings, with muscle tension, a faster heart rate and sweating.
- It isn't about volume. Reactions don't seem to depend on how loud a sound is, but on the specific sound and its pattern.
- Your own sounds usually don't count. Sounds you make yourself typically don't cause the same reaction as sounds made by others.
- It usually starts early, often first noticed in childhood or early adolescence.
Misophonia isn't listed in the DSM-5, the manual used to diagnose mental health conditions. A healthcare provider can recognize its common features by talking with you about what you experience (Cleveland Clinic).
How common is misophonia?
More common than most people think. In a 2023 study of 772 adults representative of the UK population, 18.4% said certain sounds caused a significant problem in their lives, yet only 13.6% had heard the word misophonia (King's College London, 2023). It was equally common in men and women.
Misophonia vs just being annoyed
Everyone finds loud chewing irritating now and then. Misophonia is different in degree: the reaction is strong, fast and hard to control, and it can cause real distress and interfere with daily life, including work, school and relationships (Swedo et al., 2022). Disliking one ASMR video doesn't mean you have it.
Why do mouth sounds bother me?
Mouth sounds sit right at the top of the list of misophonia triggers, so if any ASMR sound bothers you, it's most likely to be this one. A few things make ASMR mouth sounds especially hard for some people:
- They're human, repetitive and up close. That's exactly the profile of a typical misophonia trigger, and ASMR microphones are placed to make sounds feel right next to your ear.
- You can't control them. The consensus definition notes that context, the sense of control over a sound and your relationship with the person making it all affect how strong the reaction is (Swedo et al., 2022).
- Screens don't fully protect you. In a large study of people with misophonia, 58.5% said sounds from TV or video could trigger them (Rouw & Erfanian, 2018), though recorded sounds usually trigger less intense reactions than live ones (Cleveland Clinic).
Even ASMR researchers flag this. A 2017 survey of ASMR experiencers concluded that mouth sounds are best avoided because they divide audiences so sharply (Barratt, Spence & Davis, 2017). Some people love them; many can't stand them. If that's you, mouth-sound ASMR is the category to skip.
Are ASMR and misophonia connected?
Probably, though the research is early. Here's what studies have found so far.
- Same people, higher scores. In a 2018 study, 64 people who experience ASMR scored higher on a misophonia questionnaire than 68 people who don't (an average of 24.09 vs 16.80). More of the ASMR group reached the questionnaire's threshold for clinical symptoms, 36% vs 22%, though that particular difference wasn't statistically significant (Janik McErlean & Banissy, 2018).
- Many ASMR fans report misophonia. In a survey of 130 ASMR experiencers, about 43% said they also experience misophonia, and another 17% weren't sure (Barratt, Spence & Davis, 2017).
- And it works the other way. In a study of 301 people with misophonia, 49% recognized the description of ASMR tingles (Rouw & Erfanian, 2018). Having ASMR wasn't linked to milder or more severe misophonia.
- A shared sensitivity. A 2021 study of 501 ASMR responders and 56 non-responders found responders scored higher on sensory sensitivity, including being more easily overwhelmed by stimuli. The authors' title sums it up: "the awesome as well as the awful" (Poerio, Mank & Hostler, 2021).
Researchers have suggested ASMR and misophonia may be two ends of the same spectrum of strong emotional responses to sound (Barratt & Davis, 2015; Janik McErlean & Banissy, 2018). That's a hypothesis, not a settled fact. Most of these studies used small, self-selected online samples and simple self-report questions.
Why the same sound can relax one person and enrage another
If you've ever wondered how anyone can fall asleep to a video you can't sit through for ten seconds, these are the likely reasons.
Sensitivity cuts both ways
A brain that reacts strongly to sound can react strongly in either direction. The 2021 sensitivity study proposed that heightened sensitivity may sit behind both ASMR and misophonia, with the way a sound is interpreted deciding whether it feels pleasant or aversive (Poerio, Mank & Hostler, 2021).
Context changes the sound
Researchers have pointed out that eating sounds may trigger ASMR in one context and misophonia in another (Poerio, Ueda & Kondo, 2022). A quiet, slow video in a dark room is not the same as a coworker eating chips at the next desk, even if the sound is similar.
What you see matters
In a 2022 study, 102 college students rated trigger sounds, such as chewing, as more pleasant when the audio was dubbed onto a different video that could plausibly make the same noise, like someone tearing paper or walking on snow. Ninety-nine of the 102 rated the sounds higher with the alternative video (Samermit et al., 2022). Same sound, different picture, different reaction.
Triggers are personal
You can love tapping and hate chewing. Most people who enjoy ASMR have a few triggers that work and several that don't, so one bad video says little about ASMR as a whole.
Why do I hate ASMR?
There are a few common reasons, and none of them mean something is wrong with you.
- Certain sounds bother you. If it's mostly mouth, eating or breathing sounds, that fits the misophonia pattern described above.
- You don't experience ASMR. Not everyone does; one study tentatively put the share of people who do at around 20% (Poerio, Ueda & Kondo, 2022). Our guide on why you might not feel ASMR covers this.
- The style feels awkward. Whispering and close personal attention aren't for everyone. Plenty of ASMR has no talking and no face on screen.
- The video itself is the problem. Even fans are picky. In the 2017 survey, 71% said background music stopped them from feeling strong tingles, and obvious scripting and harsh audio were common complaints (Barratt, Spence & Davis, 2017).
If ASMR leaves you tense, irritable or unsettled, you can simply stop. For more on side effects and who should be careful, see is ASMR bad for you.
How to enjoy ASMR if certain sounds bother you
You don't need mouth sounds to enjoy ASMR. Start with styles that avoid the usual misophonia triggers, and test one thing at a time.
- Skip mouth sounds and eating videos. Avoid anything labeled mouth sounds, eating, mukbang or "tongue clicking." On Tingly Room you can filter by trigger, so you only see what you chose.
- Choose no-talking videos. No voice means no lip sounds or speech close to the mic. Some no-talking videos still include breathing, so preview a new creator before you settle in. Browse no-talking ASMR.
- Try tapping and brushing. Tapping on wood, glass or a book cover, and soft brushing on a microphone, don't involve the mouth at all. Note that tapping and typing are misophonia triggers for some people, so start at a low volume. See tapping ASMR.
- Try visual triggers. Slow hand movements, light and objects can relax you with very little sound. You can even watch with the volume down. Browse visual ASMR triggers.
- Use soundscapes. Rain, a crackling fire or quiet room ambience are steady, non-human sounds, close to the background noise Cleveland Clinic lists among practical coping tools for misophonia (Cleveland Clinic). Running water and rustling paper do bother some people, so pick what works for you.
- Keep the volume low. Close-mic recording makes everything feel nearer. Lower volume takes the edge off any sound you didn't expect.
- Stop when it bothers you. There's no benefit in sitting through a sound that makes you angry. Close it and try something else.
When to get help for misophonia
ASMR won't treat misophonia, and avoiding a video is easy. Avoiding the people you live and work with is not. Consider talking to a professional if:
- Certain sounds regularly make you angry, anxious or panicky.
- You avoid meals, meetings, classes or places because of them.
- It's causing conflict at home or at work, or affecting your social life (Cleveland Clinic).
Who can help
- Your primary care doctor is a good first stop, and can refer you on.
- A psychologist or therapist, especially for CBT. In a randomized trial of 54 patients, 37% of those who received group cognitive behavioral therapy improved clinically, compared with 0% on a waiting list, and the effect held at one-year follow-up (Jager et al., 2021). There's no cure, but therapy can help you manage triggers and reduce how strongly you react (Cleveland Clinic).
- An audiologist for a hearing check. In a study of 60 adults with misophonia, most had normal hearing, but about a quarter had results suggesting hyperacusis (sounds feeling too loud), and 27% reported problems with tinnitus (Muñoz et al., 2024). A hearing evaluation can pick up these related issues.
Cleveland Clinic also notes that treating related conditions, such as anxiety or OCD, may help, and that tools like earplugs, noise-canceling headphones and background sound can make daily life easier.
If sound sensitivity is part of a bigger struggle with stress, anxiety or low mood, talk to a doctor. If you're in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US), or call 911 if you're in immediate danger.
