{"id":7351,"date":"2023-09-12T20:06:48","date_gmt":"2023-09-12T13:06:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=7351"},"modified":"2023-09-12T20:06:48","modified_gmt":"2023-09-12T13:06:48","slug":"why-seeing-someone-fidget-makes-you-anxious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=7351","title":{"rendered":"Why Seeing Someone Fidget Makes You Anxious"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"drop-cap text-big text-gray\"> <span class=\"drop-cap__first text-dropcap \">A<\/span> few minutes into the final exam for my psychology class, I realized I had made a poor decision about where to sit. Of course, I couldn\u2019t have predicted that the student seated on my right would spend the next two and a half hours <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/bouncing-leg\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/bouncing-leg\/\">shaking his leg nonstop<\/a>. The seats were bolted to the floor, so all I could do was lean to the left slightly to try to keep his incessant fidgeting out of my line of sight.<\/div>\n<p>Each time I got to a new question, I tried to shield my eyes with the palm of my hand, trying to think of the answer as quickly as possible. But no matter what I did, there was his leg bobbing away in my peripheral vision.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Turns out, I was experiencing a psychological phenomenon called misokinesia, which means \u201chatred of movements.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Misokinesia is \u201can aversive reaction to seeing small, repetitive movements by others, such as fidgeting with a pen or tapping a foot,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/misokinesia.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/misokinesia.ca\/\">Sumeet Jaswal<\/a>, a PhD candidate and instructor at Langara College in Vancouver. As lead author of the <a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.skimresources.com%3Fid%3D104860X1561639%26xs%3D1%26xcust%3DSTMSLS-1111799%26url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.nature.com%252Farticles%252Fs41598-021-96430-4&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fmisokinesia%2F&amp;event_type=click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-021-96430-4\">first study on misokinesia<\/a> (in 2021), Jaswal investigated the occurrence of this phenomenon in 4100 participants. She and her colleagues found that approximately one-third of people experience some degree of sensitivity to seeing others fidget, including intense reactions like anger and anxiety.<\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content \" style=\"\" data-module-init=\"related-content\" data-module-immediate=\"\" v-cloak=\"\">\n<div class=\"related-content__wrapper \" v-cloak=\"\" :class=\"{'is-loaded':isLoaded}\">\n<p> <span class=\"inline pr-6 text-seafoam-dark\">Related Stories<\/span> <\/p>\n<p> <related-content class=\"related-content__links\" parent-article-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/misokinesia\/\" current-title=\"If Seeing Someone Else Fidget Makes You Anxious, You\u2019re Not Alone\u2014Here\u2019s Why This Phenomenon Happens\" current-image=\"GettyImages-misokinesia-425x285.jpg\" v-on:parsely-posts-loaded=\"onPostsLoaded\" start-date=\"2023-03-12\" tag=\"div\" inline-template=\"\" url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/misokinesia\/\" secret=\"w5ztterVB03LGZJLfXS0hf3EvQBuFFIWew9hmVQxthU\" apikey=\"wellandgood.com\" limit=\"3\"> <\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"related-content__card mb-[10px] sm:mb-[20px]\" :class=\"{'related-content__card--full':posts.length === 1}\" v-for=\"(post, key) in posts\"> <a v-on:click.prevent=\"trackLinkGA($event, key)\" :href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/misokinesia\/post.url\" data-url-source=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content__link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content__card--image bg-tan\" :style=\"{ backgroundImage: 'url(' + post.image_url + ')' }\"> <img :src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/misokinesia\/post.image_url\" :alt=\"post.title\"\/> <\/div>\n<p> <\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/related-content> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Some participants even mentioned opting out of certain social activities because of their discomfort with seeing other people\u2019s repetitive movements and gestures\u2014suggesting that misokinesia can have a serious negative effect on someone&#8217;s social and emotional life. Jaswal and her colleagues suspect that this effect increases with age, since older adults with misokinesia reported less enjoyment of social activities.<\/p>\n<h2>What kinds of things trigger misokinesia?<\/h2>\n<p>Some people have an easy time tuning out certain aspects of their environment, like seeing someone tapping their finger or bouncing their leg. For someone with misokinesia, however, the repetitive nature of these movements\u2014and the fact that someone else is doing them\u2014is particularly unnerving, Jaswal explains. Having someone else fidget within their view might make them feel tense, uncomfortable, or, as in my case, have difficulty concentrating.<\/p>\n<p>There are also differences between individuals with respect to the movements that trigger misokinesia, says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dccc.edu\/about\/faculty-staff\/meet-our-faculty\/hayley-nelson\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.dccc.edu\/about\/faculty-staff\/meet-our-faculty\/hayley-nelson\">Hayley Nelson, PhD,<\/a> psychology professor and founder of <a href=\"https:\/\/academyofneuro.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/academyofneuro.com\/\">The Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience<\/a>. A person chewing gum might be a trigger for you while causing no discomfort for someone else with misokinesia. Maybe their trigger is seeing someone twirling their hair. Also, certain \u201crepetitive movements might lead to stronger reactions due to their frequency or rhythm,\u201d Dr. Nelson explains. Meaning: Your partner rapidly tapping their foot while you watch TV might stress you out more than if they were doing it more slowly.<\/p>\n<h2>Why would someone else\u2019s fidgeting make us anxious?<\/h2>\n<p>It might seem odd to be bothered by something as mundane as someone else\u2019s fidgeting tics. But you\u2019re not alone in getting annoyed. Some people, instead of having a visual sensitivity, have a strong aversion to certain sounds, like hearing someone chewing or smacking their lips.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, \u201cmisokinesia can be best understood as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC9180704\/#:~:text=Misophonia%20is%20characterized%20by%20strong,regardless%20of%20their%20physical%20characteristics.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC9180704\/#:~:text=Misophonia%20is%20characterized%20by%20strong,regardless%20of%20their%20physical%20characteristics.\">counterpart to misophonia<\/a>,\u201d Dr. Nelson says. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/misophonia-treatment-options\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/misophonia-treatment-options\/\">Misophonia<\/a> is a condition where specific sounds trigger intense emotional responses, often leading to feelings of irritation or distress.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Neuroscientists are still trying to figure out what\u2019s behind misokinesia. They think it probably involves mirror neurons, which are a type of brain cell that play a critical role in understanding and imitating others\u2019 behavior. Neurons communicate with each other by sending electrical impulses or chemical messengers. So, when you see someone else performing an action and think about doing it yourself, these mirror neurons tend to get activated.<\/p>\n<p>For example, if you see someone eating a hot fudge sundae (and happen to like ice cream), the mirror neurons in your brain get activated as if you were taking a bite of this chocolatey treat. Mirror neurons are also involved when you wince after seeing someone bump their head or stub their toe. \u201cIn individuals with misokinesia, there may be a heightened sensitivity or altered processing within this mirror neuron system, leading to discomfort,\u201d Dr. Nelson explains.<\/p>\n<h2>Do certain moods make it worse?<\/h2>\n<p>Research has yet to confirm whether a person\u2019s mood or emotional state affects how intensely they experience misokinesic reactions, Jaswal says. However, she and Dr. Nelson agree it makes intuitive sense that certain emotions can increase your discomfort when seeing someone else fidget. \u201cHeightened stress, anxiety, or irritability might amplify the discomfort experienced when witnessing triggering movements,\u201d Dr. Nelson says.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, when I was taking my test, the combination of performance anxiety and time pressure likely added to my stress level\u2014and how much my peer&#8217;s bouncing leg bothered me. Other factors like fatigue can also lower your ability to tolerate negative emotions, Dr. Nelson says. For instance, when you haven\u2019t gotten enough sleep, you might feel irritable which, in turn, makes you more susceptible to being triggered by someone\u2019s repetitive movements.<\/p>\n<h2>Is there anything we can do to manage misokinesia?<\/h2>\n<p>In her research on misokinesia, Jaswal found that people who reported high levels of this visual sensitivity tended to use techniques \u201cthat would either block their field of vision or remove themselves from the situation so they would not have to see the visual triggers.\u201d These coping strategies provide some relief, but it\u2019s not always possible to leave or block out triggers without drawing attention to yourself.<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately, there are other strategies you can use to manage distress caused by misokinesia. Some people benefit from practicing mindfulness techniques like deep breathing and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/grounding-techniques\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/grounding-techniques\/\">grounding exercises<\/a>. \u201cDeveloping an awareness of your triggers and the accompanying emotional responses can be a first step in managing misokinesia,\u201d Dr. Nelson says.<\/p>\n<p>Jaswal and Dr. Nelson both recommend cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques, which focus on learning to recognize unhelpful behaviors and developing confidence in your ability to solve problems. CBT can help with changing negative thought patterns associated with misokinesia and help alleviate emotional distress. An example would be recognizing a negative thought like \u201cI can\u2019t focus while she\u2019s tapping her foot\u201d and replacing it with more soothing self-talk like \u201cI\u2019ve prepared for this job interview, and I just need to take it one question at a time. Her foot has no bearing on my talents and abilities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Since misokinesia can affect a person\u2019s quality of life or enjoyment of social activities, it\u2019s worth seeking help from a mental health professional to discuss strategies or therapies to help reduce the intensity of misokinesic reactions if you find them getting in the way of your daily life. For example, a therapist might recommend an intervention that involves \u201cgradual exposure to triggering movements, in controlled settings, to help desensitize the brain&#8217;s response over time,\u201d Dr. Nelson says.<\/p>\n<p>Keep in mind that there\u2019s nothing inherently bad or harmful about experiencing misokinesia. It simply shows the complexity of our brains and how they respond to ordinary stimuli in unique and sometimes unexpected\u2014if not always pleasant\u2014ways.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-citations mt-[40px] mb-[30px]\" data-module-init=\"main-2020\/post-citations\" data-module-immediate=\"true\">\n<hr class=\"!border-seafoam-dark mb-[24px]\"\/>\n<div class=\"post-citations-content flex flex-col gap-[24px]\">\n<p>Well+Good articles reference scientific, reliable, recent, robust studies to back up the information we share. You can trust us along your wellness journey.<\/p>\n<div>\n<ol class=\"!ml-[18px] !mt-0\">\n<li>\n              Jaswal, Sumeet M. et al \u201cMisokinesia Is a Sensitivity to Seeing Others Fidget That Is Prevalent in the General Population.\u201d <em>Scientific Reports<\/em>, vol. 11, 2021, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41598-021-96430-4.            <\/li>\n<li>\n              Ferrer-Torres, Antonia, and Lydia Gim\u00e9nez-Llort. \u201cMisophonia: A Systematic Review of Current and Future Trends in This Emerging Clinical Field.\u201d\u00a0<i>International journal of environmental research and public health<\/i>\u00a0vol. 19,11 6790. 1 Jun. 2022, doi:10.3390\/ijerph19116790            <\/li>\n<\/ol><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<hr class=\"!border-seafoam-dark mt-[24px]\"\/>\n  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A few minutes into the final exam for my psychology class, I realized I had made a poor decision about where to sit. Of course, I couldn\u2019t have predicted that the student seated on my right would spend the next two and a half hours shaking his leg nonstop. The seats were bolted to the &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7352,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7351"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7351\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}