Why Watching Someone Fidget Feels Unbearable?
One in three people worldwide may struggle with a little-known sensitivity to repetitive movements
At some time in our lives, most of us will experience something similar to misokinesia.
I am a teacher, and during my years in the classroom, I have witnessed countless forms of repetitive behavior that some may find annoying or even disturbing.
I guess we have all had that classmate who insisted on flipping or clicking their pen endlessly during school lessons.
The same happens in meetings, as during those long hours, it’s not hard to spot someone shaking one leg restlessly or drumming their fingers on the arm of the chair.
I never thought much about it, but I know this can be a distraction when you’re trying to focus.
For many people, watching these movements becomes a serious nuisance or even a cause for irritation, and science has a name for it.
Misokinesia, “the hatred of movements,” is a rather overlooked condition affecting a substantial number of people who may experience a highly negative response to everyday visual perceptions.
We might not even notice it, but many of us show a significant affective or emotional reaction to someone else’s small and repetitive movements.
This response can be subliminal, but it may trigger some type of action. Some signs associated with misokinesia are the following:
Feeling nervous or irritated by others’ repetitive movements.
Discomfort or urge to leave the space or distance oneself from the person making the movements.
Social withdrawal is a way to avoid exposure to such movements.
Trouble focusing or completing tasks due to the discomfort.
I first came across this condition in a study led by Dr. Arjan Schröder from the University of Amsterdam, published in January 2013.
The study discussed a psychological condition named misophonia, defined by unease when hearing repetitive noises like the dripping of a tap.
It immediately made me think about how, occasionally, I have to get up from my bed and go to the bathroom, or else I can’t fall asleep since the dripping noise from my showerhead irritates me.
Sounds from the mouth don’t seem to disturb me as much.
Slurping is unpleasant, but I don’t think I would be triggered by it in any way.
I do find whispering a bit irritating in some contexts. For instance, when you’re speaking to an audience, it’s annoying. Still, years of teaching helped me deal with it.
So, based on Dr. Arjan Schröder’s study, experts believe that people experiencing this sound aversion could also show signs of misokinesia.
A neurological clue
One hypothesis for the occurrence of this phenomenon may be linked to critical structures in the brain called “mirror neurons.”
Science has determined that these brain cells are activated not only when we move, but also when we see other people move.
We call them “mirror”, because these neurons effectively help us in “mirroring” the movements of others in our brain. They are also crucial to recognizing the intent in the movements of others.
Recent studies document how mirror neurons play an important role in empathic behavior and help explain a phenomenon known as “emotional contagion.”
Research shows how other people’s emotional state may have a direct effect on our feelings. This explains why we can sense it when others are suffering and infer the level of pain they feel.
“Our findings confirm that, in children just as in adults, the observation and imitation of emotional expressions elicit significant activity in putative mirror neuron areas in inferior frontal cortex, as well as anterior insula and the amygdala. Further, they indicate a link between activity in these regions and two distinct social cognitive capacities: empathy and interpersonal competence.” (Pfeifer, J. H. et al., 2008)
So people with a susceptibility to misokinesia may be unconsciously mirroring the emotional state of others while they perform repetitive movements, but negatively, and this is a hypothesis researchers plan to investigate in the future.
“For example, if our mirror neuron systems are activated when seeing the behaviors of others, this would explain not just why misokinesia sensitivities could be exclusive to human movement, but given that fidgeting is associated with psychomotor agitation and anxiety, it could also explain the aversive responses to seeing such movements in others, as it may induce these negative states in the observer. These now become important open questions to explore.” (Jaswal, S.M., et al, 2021)
A shift in research focus
Time passed, and this psychological phenomenon was virtually absent from academic investigation. But now there seems to be a growing interest in this subject, and a recent study raised awareness of this condition and its effects among the general public.
In a research involving 4100 participants, a team of University of British Columbia researchers verified the presence of misokinesia sensitivity in both student and non-student groups.
Researchers would ask participants:
“Do you ever have strong negative feelings, thoughts, or physical reactions when seeing or viewing other people’s fidgeting or repetitive movements (e.g., seeing someone’s foot shaking, fingers tapping, or gum chewing)?” (Jaswal, S.M., et al, 2021)
During the study, researchers observed a recurring pattern.
One-third of the participants reported some degree of sensitivity to seeing the repetitive, fidgeting behaviors of others.
Scientific approach and findings
Researchers posed the two questions mentioned earlier to participants, and the answers revealed some key insights:
A total of 1053 students, making up 38.3%, answered yes to the misokinesia sensitivity question.
A total of 1406 students, or 51.1%, said yes to the misophonia sensitivity question.
The data tells a clear story. While misokinesia affects a smaller percentage, it still plays a significant role in society.
Detected variabilities in how people experience these sensitivities, both in severity and scope, indicate that the emotional and social challenges from misokinesia may worsen as people get older.
Both curves might get closer if researchers conduct the study with older age groups.
The research also explored whether misokinesia links to higher visual sensitivity, meaning trouble ignoring distractions seen in the edges of vision.
But the early findings didn’t back up this idea. No solid proof showed that automatic visual attention plays a major role in misokinesia.
A subject worth further analysis
Science shows how misokinesia seems to be affecting more individuals in the general population, so it’s clear we need to start paying closer attention to it.
I guess the pandemic and the current disarray in the world order might be contributing causes for the recent rise in this type of psychological condition.
So the constant state of uncertainty we find ourselves in is pushing us to be better prepared for the challenges life throws our way.
Thus, I find misokinesia a relevant topic for new research, which is why I decided to share the latest findings with you.
If you’re curious to learn more or even get involved, I’ve found a website focusing exclusively on this subject, and it will help you understand the real impact of this condition.
If you would like to take part in the research, Professor Todd C. Handy is currently collecting more data on this subject, and everyone can participate in his “Attention Study.”
Rui Alves is a language teacher, published author, international book judge, and publisher. He runs Alchemy Publications and serves as editor-in-chief for Engage on Substack, Life Unscripted, Musicverse, Writelicious, The Academic, Portugal Calling, Engage on Medium, Rock n’ Heavy, Beloved, Zenite, Poetaph, Grind, and Babel.
This article appeared first on The Academic.
References
Jaswal SM, Handy T.C. et al. (2021). “Misokinesia is a sensitivity to seeing others fidget that is prevalent in the general population.” Sci Rep 11,17204. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-96430-4
Jaswal S.M., Handy T.C. (2024) “Is misokinesia sensitivity explained by visual attentional orienting? ERP evidence from an emotional oddball task suggests no.” PLoS ONE 19(7): e0306464. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0306464
Pfeifer, J. H. et al. (2008). “Mirroring others’ emotions relates to empathy and interpersonal competence in children.” NeuroImage, 39(4), 2076–2085. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2007.10.032
Schröder, A., et al. (2013). “Misophonia: Diagnostic criteria for a new psychiatric disorder.” PLoS ONE 8, e54706.
Miskonesia - I had one child with hyperactivity and one highly distracted by movements of others. Six hour rides to Grandma and Grandpa’s house were a unique form of torture for all of us.❤️