MIRROR PHONE NEURONS FOR MISOPHONIA?
mirror neurons - brain cells involved in sensation & movement - have been implicated in two new studies, of phone-related-imitation & sound-related-irritation
original articles: Maglieri et al., 2021 (Journal of Ethology), Kumar et al., 2021 (Journal of Neuroscience), reported in: The New Scientist by Christa Leste-Lasserre on 23rd April 2021 & The Daily Mail by Johnathan Chadwick on 3rd May 2021 & The Guardian by Ian Sample on 24th May 2021 & The Daily Mail by Stacy Liberatore on 24th May 2021
this story was in episode 11 #mirror #smartphone #misophonia #FMRI
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mirror neurons - brain cells that respond to sensation & movement - have made the headlines again
first, mirror neurons were blamed for causing people to check their phones within the first 30 seconds after someone they are with checks theirs
the New Scientist & Mail reported on this 'chameleon effect' or 'automatic imitation,' in which researchers interacted with people, took out their phones, waited & watched for three minutes, then scurried away to note down what happened. m'kay
second, mirror neurons were also fingered by researchers studying the brain basis of misophonia - a 'devastating condition' claimed to affect 6 to 20% of people. misophonia sufferers complain of anxiety, irritation & disgust at hearing certain sounds, often other people's mouth noises
the Guardian & Mail both point out that it's not just an auditory condition - these new results suggest that movement areas of the brain are also involved