Obsessed with Sound: An Investigation into Misophonia and Its Relation to Memory

Misophonia is an understudied condition characterized by extremely adverse emotional and physical reactions to the sound of eating, drinking, and breathing. Existing literature shows conflicting evidence for a link between Misophonia and OCD, and anecdotal evidence for a memory and attention component. This study tested both claims via a two-part online activity. Part one had 20 self-identified Misophonics rate 102 onomatopoeias on triggering quality via a seven-point scale. The obtained ratings were used to divide items into two stimuli groups for a recall memory test. Part 2 had fifty-four participants complete the OBQ-44, A-MISO-S, and a recall memory test. No correlation was found between scores on the OBQ-44 and A-MISO-S, failing to support the OCD-Misophonia link. ANOVA found a main effect of item group on item recall, but no main effect of participant type or interaction. The implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are discusse