Misophonia: what’s behind the phenomenon that makes certain sounds unbearable?

Dr Jane Gregory, who says the phenomenon was largely unknown until the 2010s. Photograph: Sam Frost/The Guardian

For some it is the sound of a bouncing basketball. For others it is the clearing of a throat. For Dr Jane Gregory the list includes pigeons, ticking clocks and the sound of popcorn being eaten.

“I cried on the plane the other day because I couldn’t figure out the volume on my new headphones and so I couldn’t block out the sound of a guy sniffing,” she says.