Does foot tapping or gum chewing drive you crazy? There’s a name for that
For some, watching others repeatedly click a pen, tap their foot or smack bubble gum can boil their blood like a pressure cooker. That is, until they explode in a fit of anger, frustration or anxiety.
Turns out there’s a name for that: misokinesia, translated as the “hatred of movements.”
A new study of more than 4,000 people in Canada found that one-third of research subjects experienced this psychological phenomenon, defined as a “strong negative emotional response to the sight of someone else’s small and repetitive movements.”
People who reported being sensitive to nearby fidgeting also said their social and work lives suffer because of it; some even avoid outings with others to prevent the outburst of frustration.
And the older someone gets, the worse the challenges become, the findings suggest.
The research, published Aug. 26 in the journal Scientific Reports, is the first of its kind on the condition.
“I was inspired to study misokinesia after a romantic partner told me that I have a fidgeting habit, which I wasn’t aware of, and she confessed that she experiences a lot of stress whenever she sees me or anyone else fidget,” study senior author Dr. Todd Handy, a University of British Columbia psychology professor, said in a statement. “As a visual cognitive neuroscientist, this really piqued my interest to find out what is happening in the brain.”
People typically fidget when they are nervous or anxious, researchers say, so those with misokinesia who see these tiny movements may experience the same feelings. The team speculates mirror neurons may play a role.
Mirror neurons are brain cells that activate when you move and when you watch others move.
“For example, when you see someone get hurt, you may wince as well, as their pain is mirrored in your own brain and that causes you to experience their emotions and empathize with them,” study lead author Sumeet Jaswal, a PhD student in UBC’s department of psychology, said in a statement.
Much remains unknown about misokinesia, mostly because no studies before have been dedicated to it, the researchers said.
The condition is often viewed as the visual version of misophonia, or the hatred of sounds, which is better understood. But the new research found some people reported having misokinesia without misophonia and vice versa, suggesting one does not have to come with the other.
Next, the team wants to figure out if there’s a genetic explanation behind the sensitivity, along with spreading more awareness about the condition.
“To those who are suffering from misokinesia, you are not alone. Your challenge is common and it’s real. As a society, we need to recognize that a lot of you suffer silently from this visual challenge, that it can adversely impact your ability to work, learn in school and enjoy social situations,” Handy said. “It’s a widely shared challenge that no one has ever really talked about. By starting this discussion, there is reason for hope in better understanding and outcomes.”
