Repetition!

One of the key words in this Miso jungle is “REPETITION!”

Have you ever tried to pay attention to all of the repetitions that are happening around your Miso? I won’t write about constant eating sounds/movements and breathing sounds. They are the most common triggers but they’re so repetitive and constant that it really doesn’t make any sense to analyze them this way. 

Repetitive movements, gesticulations, micro expressionscharacteristic ways of saying something…

Simple explanation. Someone in my family sometimes sneezes at least 10 times in a row. My rage will increase with the number of his sneezes. Next time after I hear him sneze two times I’ll  feel more anger because I know what to expect. It’s the same with everything else. The more time I hear/see something characteristic the more I’ll be bothered with it.

The more complicated explanation and something that don’t produce that much rage, but discomfort, disturbance and an unwillingly unpleasant reaction. Music.

For most of you music is a salvation. For me, it’s a distraction and for last few years I finally admitted and gave up on it. I don’t listen to music. Maybe the closest to the truth would be “I rarely enjoy music. I would never turn on the music no matter where I am and what am I doing.”  I tried numerous times because everyone enjoy music! But I just couldn’t.  The moment when I catch the same tone more then let’s say 10 times and the same tone of someone’s voice (if I knew more about music I would explain this better)… when I start to recognize the style of the singer or the bend I’m done with it. I can’t enjoy because all I hear are those repetitive, distinguishing tones that are always the same, no matter that the song is different, the album is a new one etc. They all are just  the same to me. 

While I was growing up I was listening (more of, trying to because you supposed to do that) metal, hard rock, punk (I should find a picture of myself in that period lol). I remember when my friend brought me 5 tapes (yeah, no cd’s back then) of a band to listen all of their 5 album’s and tell him what I think. I took the tapes and was trying to not say out loud: “Are you insane? I can’t do that!” Because I really cared about him I forced myself to play it. The band was very good, the singer had a very unique voice, they were different, and lyrics were deep and different. I liked them. After the second tape I picked up their distinguishable characteristics, voice and music related and my enjoyment stopped. I kept the tapes as long as I could but I didn’t hear the fifth album (I did it much later, just not then).

Just turn on any music channel and watch a few videos of pop princesses (and don’t forget boys) let’s say (actually if you’re a Miso person, don’t do that ;)) . I promise you’ll notice their same dance moves, their “sticking tongue and licking lips”, “shaking asses this way”, movements with their hands, their same facial expressions while singing certain vowels,  and so on.  They pick up what they think it’s appealing and all of them do the same.

Characteristics in the way how TV anchors gesticulate and pronounce their words, the way how they’re stressing what is important or to add some drama in their story. Can’t watch/listen them. Of course there are certain differences between them but they are unnoticeable because anchors almost present/act uniformly the same.

I just can’t deal with that amount of the same pronunciation, dances, movements, gesticulations so, it’s simple, I don’t watch or listen them.

My new coworker likes to listen to music, and surprisingly I still don’t mind it. I appreciate that she asked me few times if I mind the music in the office, but I can completely shut down the music (meaning I don’t hear it) while working.

What’s interesting about music on the other hand… I enjoy live performance. A singer, a band could never repeat the same tone in their live performances. It’s not possible.  Those are the same songs they play but they’re never able to repeat the way how they played last time.

I enjoy instruments when played live. I enjoy someone’s voice when they sing live.

My hb used to sing in a band. Yes he does have some distinguishable characteristics while singing but I don’t mind them if he sings live because it’s not possible to sing the same way numerous times. The differences are probably undetectable to someone with “normal” hearing,  but they’re still differences and because of those tiny differences I can listen and enjoy music live.

Interesting is that people very quickly and probably unconsciously pick up movements and gesticulation seen regularly on TV or in their every day life. F.e. four women in my family make the same lips movements when saying certain things, let’s say when they’re passing some news.  No one notice that except me.  It’s a blessing and a curse in the same time. Another example that we all see all the time can be posing and “fish” and “duck” mouth when girls photograph themselves for social networks.

Good side, in life in general, is that together with a bit psychology knowledge you can read a person very quickly because very quickly you become aware of the distinctiveness in their body language and voice.

Bad side, in life in general, is that together with a bit psychology knowledge you can read a person very quickly because very quickly you become aware of the distinctiveness in their body language and voice, and therefore you very quickly lose interest in getting to know them better.

Author Description

I love photography and learning about it. I'll try and fail that's for sure, but sometimes, I hope, I'll do good. As for the Misophonia part of the blog, I'll write honestly about my experiences and feelings, trying to help myself and others who feel the same way as I do and maybe to raise some awareness about this condition. All written here is just and only my opinion.

8 Responses to “Repetition!”

  1. Alex June 27, 2014 - Reply

    One thing Im finding…
    <<<>>>
    ….is that I can’t listen to radio, or watch tv, once I notice/ become aware of, certain speech sounds….very ‘plosive’, letters p, k, s, etc, pronounced in a certain way. There’s a quiz show here…Im in the UK …..called Pointless, which I was really beginning to enjoy, till I became aware of one of the presenters’ manner of speaking; any word with a’k’ sound….he says it as though he has a sweetie tucked into his cheek, at the side of his mouth, and is trying not to show it….so, I can only watch if muted.

    • mmaria June 27, 2014 - Reply

      That was exactly what I was talking about Alex!

      It’s the same with me, as soon as I become aware of certain characteristic sounds and movements, I can tolerate them a bit more but I’m aware that I’m done with that show/series or else. After a short period of time I come to the point where I can’t tolerate and I simply don’t watch them anymore.
      There are many series I liked to watch but I just couldn’t stand them any more and I’m very sorry for that.

      And… I can’t watch anything muted…visual triggers ;)

  2. Kristie June 27, 2014 - Reply

    I know my dad has miso, though he says he is not bothered by triggers anymore, he has become more relaxed in his retired years, but he’s never liked music, as long as I could remember he would always listen to talk radio, he could listen to it all day, but I on the other hand couldn’t stand listening to the same news and weather reports every half hour. I love music, but in reading your post realized that my favorite songs have a variation in the rhythm. There are certain singers that I can not stand the sound of their voices, mainly men with a high pitch, but throw on Leonard Cohen or Tom Waits and I feel bliss. But in regards to repetition, I find that repetitive activities drive me insane. I could never work on an assembly line, and have tried working in a couple of call centres, but the repetition of the calls drove me insane. I don’t know if it is from boredom or is related to the miso (some how) but I really dislike repetitive activities, or even having to repeat what I say, especially if someone says ‘what?’ instead of ‘pardon me’ or ‘could you repeat that.’ It really makes me mad when people say ‘what?’ Being a stay at home mom on a starting farm has really brought this to light for me, with the daily chores and child care activities that need to be completed over and over again, with no break, sent me into a pretty deep depression. I know it isn’t repetition that is related to sound directly, but repetition is something that I really don’t like.

    • mmaria June 27, 2014 - Reply

      Interesting, I’m glad you wrote all of this.
      I’ve just played a Cohen’s song ;)
      About repetitive activities… I know what are you saying, it’s the same with me. I was actually thinking to write about that too but the post would be much longer and I thought no one could relate… but here we are…

      I liked math f.e. I liked finding “solution to problems” Everything would be interesting until the moment I find the solutions of the similar problems and in a similar way for a few times. After those few times the problems would just become boring and a burden for me to deal with it in the same way, over and over again…
      When photography become “the same thing” I need to back off and take a break, don’t touch the camera for a while and change the type of photography when the break is over. When it’s about “mind activities” I get bored after it becomes too easy for me. When there’s no challenge for me to understand something.

      It’s the same way with almost all of the activities I’ve done. The same path to the work is also one of the simplest examples of repetitive activities.

      Repeating something I’ve just said or someone repeating something they’ve just said, drives me insane also! I get the same Miso reaction when that’s happening! And yes, how people ask me to repeat something plays a huge role in my reaction to their question. If they’re polite and ask nicely, with some gesticulation or facial expression that shows that they sincerely didn’t hear or understand me I’ll react better (my rage will be high but not as it would be if they were rude or something)

  3. Alex June 28, 2014 - Reply

    Leonard Cohen = bliss for me too….. and his lyrics comfort me, and give me strength….especially at the moment; my husband of 34 years passed away on 29th May….so Leonard, and my cats, Spock and Data, are of great comfort…..

    • mmaria June 28, 2014 - Reply

      My sincerest condolences for your loss Alex! I really can’t imagine how it is to lose somebody with whom your spent that many years…

  4. RH July 13, 2014 - Reply

    great blog, the comments got me thinking too. All my triggers have one thing in common, they are predictable. In terms of music, one thing I love about the RHCP is that their lyrics are random and to be honest I don’t understand half of them…
    Today I had an argument with the wife because she was ‘predictably’ using the blinkers for every single turn on the way to taking our daughter to gymnastics. The tick tock sound drove me nuts and the fact that it seemed unnecessary at every turn made it worse. Maybe if I can somehow make things unpredictable I’d not be bothered by them, but then I’d probably be arrested instead ;)

    • mmaria July 13, 2014 - Reply

      Thank you for your kind words and especially for mentioning comments. I would like people to feel free enough to write here their experience and thoughts because I really think that they’ll help to others who stumble upon this blog.
      It’s also interesting that you mentioned “predictability” because I planned that to be my next post :) I’ll tell my thoughts about that particular “part” of Miso and I’m looking forward to hear more from you, to exchange some opinions.
      RHCP – completely different with me. I liked them very much, but their music became very predictable and therefore, I can’t enjoy them any more ;)
      I’ll quote what you said about blinkers in the next post. I just hope I’ll get the time for writing it tomorrow.

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