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Critical comments from our spouses can sometimes drive us crazy, or at the very least provoke loud arguments.
In the case of Dr. Todd Handy, a professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia, it actually inspired research on a phenomenon that has hardly been studied until now. "It happened after my partner told me that I had an annoying habit that I was not aware of," he said in an interview with the magazine The university, "She basically said that certain movements I do when I'm stressed create a lot of stress in her when she's next to me."
This, as mentioned, was the initial trigger that caused him to investigate a phenomenon called misokinesia, which loosely translates to hypersensitivity to movements.
In simple words, sufferers of the phenomenon can experience stress, discomfort or even anxiety, when they see others around them performing actions that are caused by, well, stress, discomfort or anxiety, such as jumping the leg, drumming with the hand, playing with a pen or any other "tic" that the person himself is not always aware of his presence and certainly does not understand his negative effect on others around him.
An unknown phenomenon that affects a third of the population
In a study by Dr. Handy and his team from the University of British Columbia, published in the journal Nature, it was revealed that misokinesia is a much more common phenomenon than previously believed. This was the first in-depth study that examined the phenomenon and included data on more than 4,100 participants. Among other things, the researchers discovered that One out of every three people suffers from the phenomenon to one degree or another.
"Our results support the conclusion that misokinesia is not a phenomenon that is limited only to people with a certain clinical diagnosis, but constitutes a broad social challenge, which has so far not been recognized and exists in many people in the general population," wrote the researchers.
Stressing you out too?
GIF of Yad (Photo: Giphy)
According to them, there is a close connection between this phenomenon and a more familiar phenomenon that has been studied extensively in the past - misophonia.
We have already told you about that phenomenon in detail and it refers to stress, anxiety and anger that can arise in response to certain sounds, such as chewing noises or even heavy breathing.
However, alongside the close connection between these two phenomena, the researchers emphasize that even many people who do not suffer from sensitivity to noise can suffer from misokinesia related as mentioned to visual stimuli.
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And although it is, as mentioned, a common phenomenon, it naturally affects different people in different forms and intensities.
"It can trigger feelings such as anger, anxiety and frustration, as well as impairing the enjoyment of social situations. It can also affect different aspects of life such as work and learning," stressed Dr. Handy.
So why do stressful people around us affect us so much?
As part of the study, the researchers conducted a series of tests to understand whether misokinesia is due to increased visual sensitivity, a disorder that impairs our ability to block out visual distractions in the immediate environment.
According to them, previous experiments carried out in the field did not lead to unequivocal results and today there is no sufficient evidence that misokinasia results from this disorder or from other disorders related to attention and concentration.
Because this is a new phenomenon, naturally, the knowledge gathered around it is limited and therefore it is very difficult to explain in depth why it exists and especially why it is so widespread.
One of the theories that the scientists want to investigate further in order to understand it more is related to the "mirror neurons" that exist in the brain of all of us and greatly influence our learning and social abilities.
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"These are neurons that are activated when we see other people moving, like for example when we see people hurt," explains Sumeet Jaswal from the University of British Columbia, who took part in the study, "this is exactly what makes us cringe or feel real pain when we see other people suffering ".
These neurons allow, among other things, small children to imitate their environment and thus learn essential skills.
They also make us help others, cooperate and feel part of the community around us.
If this theory is correct, people who deal with misokinasia are actually more sensitive people, who unconsciously empathize with stressed people in their environment.
"When people's body language indicates that they are anxious or nervous, then those with misokinasia may mirror that themselves and feel the same," Jaswell said.
At this stage, it is important to understand, this is only a theory and no one really knows how to explain why this phenomenon exists, but this research has a different and equally important meaning.
If you also experience these feelings, it means that you are really not alone.
This is the first proof of its kind that this is a common phenomenon, which you should not be ashamed of or feel bad about, even when close people manage to annoy, stress or even drive you crazy.
health
psychology
Tags
pressure
stress
anxiety
