MISOPHONIA and MYERS-BRIGGS TYPE INVENTORY
One day, I was having a discussion with a high school misophonia client when she raised an interesting question. I decided to go to the Sound Sensitivity Yahoo group and several Facebook misophonia groups for input. Below you will find a basic explanation of the terms used, the results of my informal survey, and some preliminary thoughts about what the results might indicate. I welcome your replies and your thoughts on the subject.
What is the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Inventory)?
The MBTI was developed in the 1940s, revised over the years, and has been used in helping millions of people better understand themselves and others. It helps business management create effective working teams by pairing people with differing strengths to bring their unique skills to the job. Some people even use it to screen potential mates!
The MBTI grid contains 16 quadrants, each a combination of four letters indicating four different aspects of personality or style of approaching life and problems. The paired “polarities” are E/I, S/N, T/F, and J/P. They stand for terms from Jungian psychology, which are similar to but not the same as our usual understanding of those terms: Extraversion/ Introversion, Sensing/INtuiting, Thinking/Feeling, and Judging/Perceiving. Thus, a person might be an ESTJ, INFP, or any other combination of the letters (16 in all).
For more information, see Myers-Briggs Basics
What led to this survey?
I had commented to this client that I have often observed that people with misophonia tend to be highly judgmental of others’ behaviors (Example: “He shouldn’t eat/chew/(fill in the blank) like that – it is disgusting! HE is disgusting!”). I noted that if misophones can learn to let go of those judgments, they are much relieved of one layer of difficulty with this problem: they still don’t like the sound, and still have visceral reactions, but don’t have to remain fixated on the person and the “disgusting” behavior. (As another client said a few years ago, she was learning to “give up the job of morality police.”)
In some class in her high school, this student had taken the MBTI and asked if the J type was more common in people with misophonia. Even though the J type is not the same kind of “judging” that I meant in our conversation, it did seem like an interesting question to explore. Read on!
What do the J/P descriptors mean (Structure of dealing with the outside world)?
Judging (J)
I use my decision-making (Judging) preference (whether it is Thinking or Feeling) in my outer life. To others, I seem to prefer a planned or orderly way of life, like to have things settled and organized, feel more comfortable when decisions are made, and like to bring life under control as much as possible.
Since this pair only describes what I prefer in the outer world, I may, inside, feel flexible and open to new information (which I am).
Do not confuse Judging with judgmental, in its negative sense about people and events. They are not related. (Italics added)
Perceiving (P)
I use my perceiving function (whether it is Sensing or Intuition) in my outer life. To others, I seem to prefer a flexible and spontaneous way of life, and I like to understand and adapt to the world rather than organize it. Others see me staying open to new experiences and information.
Since this pair only describes what I prefer in the outer world, inside I may feel very planful or decisive (which I am).
Remember, in type language perceiving means “preferring to take in information.” It does not mean being “perceptive” in the sense of having quick and accurate perceptions about people and events.
What do the E/I descriptors mean (Inner vs Outer World focus)?
Extraversion (E)
I like getting my energy from active involvement in events and having a lot of different activities. I’m excited when I’m around people and I like to energize other people. I like moving into action and making things happen. I generally feel at home in the world. I often understand a problem better when I can talk out loud about it and hear what others have to say.
Introversion (I)
I like getting my energy from dealing with the ideas, pictures, memories, and reactions that are inside my head, in my inner world. I often prefer doing things alone or with one or two people I feel comfortable with. I take time to reflect so that I have a clear idea of what I’ll be doing when I decide to act. Ideas are almost solid things for me. Sometimes I like the idea of something better than the real thing.
The other two dichotomies are dealing with information (Sensing or Intuiting) and decision-making (Thinking or Feeling). At this point, I have not included these factors in the survey analysis.
RESULTS
195 people with misophonia responded to my request for MBTI types. I have excluded 9 whose profiles had mixed scores on either E/I or J/P types, simply to make it easier for me (a non-statistician) to try to chart and analyze the data.
SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION
In rounded numbers:
- almost two-thirds of respondents are J (Judging)
- almost three-fourths of respondents are I (Introverts), while only about one-fourth are E (Extraverts)
- half of respondents are I/J (Introvert/Judging), while the other half are split among the other three cells
- of the 114 total Js, almost 81% (92) are I (Introverts)
So what can we make of all this?
- First, it appears that my high school client’s question was on target: there is a much higher percentage (61%) of J (Judging) in the misophonia respondents – about 2/3, compared to about 1/3 P (Perceiving).
- There is also a MUCH higher percentage of Introverts (73%) than Extraverts – about 3/4 compared to about 1/4.
- And more than 80% of the Js are also Introverts.
When I asked for Myers-Briggs responses to the question, I was looking for Js, and anticipated that there would be a higher percentage than Ps. I was not thinking about any of the other traits until it became apparent that the number of Introverts was much higher as well, and the combination of I/J was about half of the four possibilities (I/J, I/P, E/J, or E/P).
Although the Myers-Briggs Introversion type does not mean the individual is necessarily an introverted person, it does make sense that three-fourths of respondents are I. People with misophonia often become more isolated, as many sounds or movements of other people are so distressing to them. Interactions with others tend to be exhausting, and the misophone usually needs to retreat to quiet, private space to recoup energy.
My comment to my young client related to the common characteristic of misophones being judgmental about the “rude” or “disgusting” behavior of others. There is very often a strong tendency to judge and disparage behaviors that are triggers, almost always about table manners and other mouth or nose sounds (as well as other sounds and movements).
Bearing in mind that the J (Judging) type is not the same meaning as our usual understanding of that word, it does still seem a strong characteristic or trait. The J type likes order and control of circumstances in the outer world, and is often somewhat obsessive about the “right” way for things to be done.
What can be done with the data from this informal survey?
I think it is of interest that the numbers are skewed toward Introversion and Judgment in the respondents to this survey. In approaching misophonia from a CBT/DBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Dialectical Behavior Therapy) perspective, I think of layers of an onion in terms of reactions to other people’s behavior:
- First there is the problem of a visceral, neurological reaction to a specific sound, let’s say a way of chewing.
- Then there is judgment (He should chew with his mouth closed.)
- Then there is frustration (Why does he keep doing that? Will he never stop?), often accompanied by glaring.
- Next comes anger (I hate this! I can’t stand it!).
- And then comes “fight or flight” (screaming STOP, or hitting, or running out of the room).
Of course, these layers are almost instantaneous and without thought. They are reactions, rather than responses, to the original problem. Using CBT/DBT, we can slow down the reaction and begin to peel off the layers. The original problem might still be there, but it is much less distressing when all the layers on top of it are removed.
In other words, if one can learn to tone down the judgments of other people’s behaviors (to stop being the “morality police,” as another client once said), it becomes easier to manage the problem of dealing with the disturbing sound. I have seen great improvement over time when my clients have learned how to apply these principles.
What about the other MBTI dichotomies (S/N and T/F)?
I found this survey a very intriguing endeavor. I received more than twice the number of replies I anticipated, and it took me much longer to tabulate and think about the results than I expected, and to write up this summary. With great self-control, I managed to totally ignore the middle two letters of each reported type, so at this time, I have absolutely no idea whether there is any trend or statistical interest in those aspects. Any such exploration will have to wait for another time, when and if I have the gumption to undertake more analysis.
I welcome your comments and thoughts.
© Jaelline Jaffe, 2016
This makes so much sense. I’m surprised that the extrovert number is as high as it is.
My favorite line is “interactions with others tend to be exhausting”
You’ve given me an epiphany with regard to the fact that I do automatically hate/disdain/judge ‘the chewer’
Fascinating read
Thank you so much
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment, Kate. You are the first! And I appreciate that you found it interesting, and maybe useful.
Very interesting article. I appreciate the layers and will try incorporate it to overcome the strong emotions that this brings…fight or flight instinct.
Thank you, Jo. I am glad you found this interesting. Wishing you the best in applying it.
Thank you Jaelline Jaffe for taking the time to study this correlation! No doubt very relevant in unlocking the mystery of misophonia. I wonder if the cause/effect relationship is that people become introverted as a result of misophonia or the other way around that people who are introverted are more likely to suffer from misophonia. I can only imagine the exhausting effort required of you to do this study and possible reluctance to continue on with the middle two letters of Myers Briggs but I hope at some point you do. We battle misophonia every second of every day and for the most part are too tired to type or talk about it. I’m sure there must be many silent family’s who suffer from this horrible problem. Not all of us are mentally capable of being actively involved online but we are fighting this struggle every day at home. Thank you for your work.
Matt, thank you for those comments. I have far too many things going on right now that have to be done before I can go back to those middle two letters, but I do hope I will be able to do so. At the moment, I am still trying to get our October conference for miso patients and families put together. I hope you will agree that is a higher priority! Hope you will be able to come.
Reinforced what I suspected! As an E/P, I am a somewhat rare misophone!
Blau, you are a rare and precious bird! And a delight!
From my point of view, it is *other* people that are the ones that are judgemental about misophonia.
Marsha, it sounds like you have had some bad experiences with people judging you for your sound sensitivities. I’m sorry they have not been able to be understanding and supportive, once the condition has been identified. I hope you will find more support on the various online groups.
I worked around people that would leave leftover donuts and cookies next to a diabetic and “jokingly” say they were sugar-free. But I see greater hostility online regarding misophonia in the comments sections of articles about it. Online, people let loose what they think, that they might stifle if they were talking to someone face-to-face. Then a mob mentality gets going with people agreeing.
I fear that if the general public reads about this MBTI correlation (the J more than the I), it will be used against people with misophonia.
BTW, I believe introverts are born that way; it’s not a result of misophonia.
Those people were mean and uninformed, to taunt a diabetic or anyone else. In general, I find that people who do such things are unhappy and have their own issues, or they would not even consider making life harder for someone else. As to the online comments, you are right. Even that Hoda and Kathie Lee piece on the Today show, in which they made snickering remarks about sound sensitivity, was super ignorant. All the more need for education from those who know something about the subject.
It is also my understanding that our type preferences are born/genetic. But I also think many misophones become more private and isolated as a coping strategy. So they behave more like the I type, even if that was not their initial wiring.
That’s a fascinating analysis, and based on sufficient sample size as to be validated. It makes perfect sense too, once looked at that way. After all, the “judge” wants things to be the way THEY feel is right, and react strongly when they experience people doing wrong. Thanks for sharing your observations — just that point alone may help 100’s of cases get resolved much more quickly!
Thank you for that feedback, Michael! I am pleased you read the article and responded. I hope your comment proves to be the case.
I know full well that most of the people aren’t doing “wrong”. That’s what make misophonia so maddening to me, because I know that I am the one with the problem. That’s coming from someone that is more P than J on the MBTI. If I ever judge, it’s myself that I’m judging.
Thank you for your work and sharing your results. I know that each of the 16 types is represented at different frequencies in the general population. I think only 2% of the female population are ENTP, like me. Since the types have been disaggregated in this analysis, I’d be curious to compare this to the distribution of E/I, J/P traits in the general population. Thanks again.
Good point. I am not a statistician, nor a Myers-Briggs expert, and would be delighted if someone else wanted to explore that.
This makes a lot of sense to me. One of my worst triggers right now is people playing their bass loudly on my street. I just feel like it is so WRONG and inconsiderate and trashy. Like I can understand why people sniff, but I can’t understand why people think the whole world wants to hear their music. It definitely makes my reaction worse because I do judge the people causing the trigger much more harshly than I would otherwise.
I would like to point out, however, that your use of the term “misophone” is a bit distressing. Many people with misophonia strongly dislike (I’ll even go so far as to say hate) the term and prefer to be referred to as PEOPLE with misophonia, stressing that we are of course people first. Our neurological condition is not what defines us.
Thanks for putting so much time into this research!
Thank you for the comment, and also for the critique! I have heard several different wordings, misophonics, misophones, and of course people with Misophonia, which just happens to be longer. I stuck it in there as a variation on the theme. But I am happy to go back and edit, in respect of what you have said here.
I felt like you were reading my mind Robin! People playing bass loudly, or singing out loud in public really hit my buttons. (If you had a good voice you would have an album…is usually what I say in my head)
Thank you Jaelline for bringing this condition to the public. I just thought I was crazy for 38 years…
Excellent presentation of some new ideas, interesting application of Myers-Briggs. I’m wondering if you’ve had any response from them, and if they might consider going into the statistical areas that aren’t covered in your research. Great work, Jaelline!
Thank you, Marian. Yes, there have been several comments both here and on Facebook groups. I would love it if someone else wanted to pick it up and do more research on it. I would especially love it if someone who has expertise in Myers-Briggs would take it on.
This is a very interesting study and I hope you will find the time to finish with the other indicators. I can’t help wondering if people who have difficulty perceiving are more likely to resort to judging. In other words, if intuiting is off because of atypical neurological processing in misophonia that it makes sense that one would try harder to control their environment. I think the relationships of these typologies is very interesting,
Also, one problem with using cognition alone to change a physiological response is that if misophonia is tapping into the amygdala as we think it is, the spontaneous fight/flight reaction happens in less than a millisecond and unconsciously. This is what Joe LeDoux speaks about, and has studied in his lab. In other words, we “leap before we look” when we perceive danger (LeDoux, 2014).
I think this is what we have so confused in the the treatment of misophonia. Yes, we need top-down approaches but what do we do to assuage a physiologic/neurologic defense response that is hard wired? I think this is, and always has been the missing link. Maybe a modified version of DBT? I dk. Thinking out loud! Thank you for sharing results.
Thanks for the reflections, Jennifer. I think you are right. I have given considerable thought to the use of body psychotherapies and involvement of the polyvagal system. I use modified DBT approaches and find they are more effective than CBT alone, because of the extreme reactivity of misophonia. More research is needed. Not sure if I am the one who will complete this one, but it was very interesting to start it …