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Dr. de Gee’s research team at the University of Amsterdam found that changes in pupil size reliably distinguished responses to misophonia trigger sounds from responses to generally unpleasant sounds and could even predict misophonia symptom severity in individual participants. These findings add to our understanding of the link between pupillometry and possible clinical uses by demonstrating that pupil-linked arousal may provide an objective, cost-effective way to measure misophonia responses, including in individuals with milder symptoms.

In this study, researchers used pupillometry, a technique that measures changes in pupil size. Pupillometry is commonly used to study arousal, attention, mental effort, and emotional responses. The researchers measured pupil responses while listened to sounds, allowing them to evaluate whether changes in pupil size could serve as an objective indicator of misophonia-related reactions.

More specifically, the researchers found that:

• Pupil dilation reliably distinguished responses to misophonia trigger sounds from responses to generally unpleasant sounds (e.g., nails on a chalkboard).
• Individuals with milder misophonia symptoms showed the same characteristic arousal responses seen in those with more severe symptoms.
• Pupil dilation alone could be used to predict misophonia symptom severity at the level of an individual participant.

The potential value of pupillometry as an objective measure of misophonia is an active area of research across multiple groups in the field, with published findings so far showing a range of results and possible use moving forward. Future studies will help determine whether measures like pupil-linked arousal can eventually become practical tools for evaluating misophonia in research or clinical settings.

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Research Paper Title: Sound-evoked pupil dilation quantifies misophonic symptoms.

Authors: Jan Willem de Gee, Laia Alonso-Marmelstein, Kate Schwarz-Roman, Romke Rouw

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ABOUT THE RESEARCH TEAM

Jan Willem de Gee, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience at the University of Amsterdam and the primary investigator on a 2025 MRF Research Impact Award.