January Jones' Misophonia Health Condition, Explained

"Mad Men" actress January Jones took to her Instagram account on December 4, 2025, to discuss her struggles with misophonia, a condition that causes people to feel distress in response to certain sounds, for example, chewing or finger tapping. "For today, I'd like to talk about something that I've been struggling with my whole life, which is called misophonia," the star said. "And it's gotten progressively worse over the years."

In the video, Jones also called out her brother-in-law for his "unkind" behavior of eating potato chips in her presence. "I have talked to him about this many times, and he seems to think it's funny to eat chips around me now because it's an ongoing joke to see what happens and see what I do," she said. "So, what I didn't do today was record this video inside a prison," Jones jokingly added, implying that she had restrained herself from physically harming him.

According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), "misophonia" means "hatred of sounds." It is also known as "selective sound sensitivity syndrome." In addition to being triggered by certain sounds — such as chewing, breathing, or water dripping — some people may respond to visual triggers, such as leg swinging. The APA further explains that many triggers are repetitive and related to human actions. When exposed to these stimuli, people may feel emotions such as annoyance, anger, irritation, disgust, or even panic or shame.

The APA notes that misophonia is not currently formally recognized as either a neurological or psychiatric disorder. However, experts do acknowledge that the phenomenon exists and can cause distress in a person's life. People with misophonia can struggle with isolation from others due to their avoidance of situations where triggering sounds may occur, such as meals or social gatherings.

According to Boston Children's Hospital, misophonia is diagnosed based on symptoms. However, there is no cure, so treatment involves teaching people how to cope with the symptoms and manage their reactions to them. The first step in getting help with misophonia is to see an audiologist to rule out other conditions, such as hyperacusis or other hearing disorders, that might account for a person's symptoms. If these are ruled out, then they will make recommendations for further steps to take.

Hearts for Hearing states that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is considered to be the gold standard for treating misophonia. It helps teach people coping skills, relaxation techniques, and ways to alter their reactions to trigger sounds. Sound therapy, such as earplugs, headphones, and white noise machines, can block out triggers. Approaches such as stress management techniques and engaging support from friends and family can also help. Some also use exposure therapy, medications, or medical hypnosis to treat misophonia, although it's unclear how effective these are.