Misokinesia: Everything You Should Know

Written by Timothy Gower
Medically Reviewed by Smitha Bhandari, MD on April 24, 2025
6 min read

Misokinesia is a psychological problem that causes people to be bothered by the sight of someone else who is fidgeting or making other repeated body movements. (The word "misokinesia" is Greek for "hatred of movement.") This recently discovered phenomenon can leave you feeling distracted, frustrated, angry, and even capable of violence because someone else in the room can’t seem to sit still. 

For example, if you have misokinesia, you may keep losing your place while reading a book if someone across the room is mindlessly bobbing their foot up and down or drumming their fingers on a table. "Or if you’re watching a movie and somebody starts fidgeting, you cannot follow along with the plot," says cognitive psychologist Sumeet Jaswal, PhD, an instructor at Langara College, in Vancouver, British Columbia. "Something as simple as fidgeting with a pen can draw somebody’s attention and really bother them."

Jaswal is one of the world’s leading authorities on misokinesia, which she began studying while pursuing her doctoral degree at the University of British Columbia. Jaswal has interviewed many people with misokinesia and says that the condition can harm relationships with family members, friends, and romantic partners. "Essentially, it’s the people who you’re around most of the time who will trigger you," she says. 

Misokinesia can be serious enough to split up couples, Jaswal says. Some college students told Jaswal that they get distracted if a classroom instructor waves her or his hands around a lot. "They could not pay attention to anything important that the professor was telling them," she says. Some people with misokinesia may avoid social situations where they worry their symptoms may be triggered. 

The triggers for misokinesia differ from one person to another. "It’s very personal," Jaswal says. Some common triggers for misokinesia include:

  • Shaking or bouncing a leg or foot
  • Finger tapping
  • Rubbing the eyes or face
  • Foot tapping
  • Chewing or picking your teeth
  • Hair twirling
  • Tapping or clicking a pen
  • Nail picking or biting

Misokinesia vs. misophonia

Misokinesia shares some similarities and differences with a related condition called misophonia. Misokinesia causes you to feel annoyed and frustrated by visual movements, even if they don’t make any sound. If you have misophonia, it’s mostly certain sounds that bother you. 

"We still haven’t figured it out," Jaswal says. "At this point, the research is in very early stages." But she has done seven studies aimed at understanding this phenomenon with several colleagues, and some clues have emerged from that research. 

"There seems to be some genetic component to it," Jaswal says. "If parents have misokinesia, then their children tend to have it too." But she stresses that she has not tested the genes of people who have misokinesia and their family members, so more research is needed to find out if you can inherit misokinesia from your parents. 

Jaswal adds that many other things could cause or contribute to misokinesia. For instance, she hopes to look into whether culture affects the risk of misokinesia by studying whether it is more or less common in other countries. In her interviews with people who have misokinesia, Jaswal has also noticed a common trend: Many people who have the problem are only triggered to have symptoms when they see their romantic partner fidget.

Based on her research, Jaswal estimates that about a third of the population of North America has had misokinesia at one time or another. 

No one is sure if women or men are more likely to have misokinesia. But based on a survey she did, Jaswal believes that people with misokinesia may be more bothered by their symptoms as they grow older. "At this point, we do think that this is something that gets worse with age," she says. 

You may be having misokinesia if you’re aware of someone nearby who’s fidgeting and you feel the following:

  • Anxiety
  • Inability to focus on what you’re doing
  • Frustration and annoyance
  • Anger
  • Rage 
  • Thoughts of committing violence directed at the fidgeter

People with misokinesia whom Jaswal has interviewed have also reported that they can go through a variety of unpleasant physical changes when they see someone fidgeting, including:

  • Chills 
  • Feeling hot or sweating
  • Shaking
  • Heart palpitations
  • Sweating, clammy hands
  • Heavy or irregular breathing or shortness of breath
  • Lump in the throat
  • Tears

"We don’t have a treatment for misokinesia yet," Jaswal says. But from her interviews with people who have misokinesia, she has learned that many come up with ways to cope with the problem. Some strategies that people with misokinesia find helpful include:

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): Some people say this form of psychotherapy helps them to understand why fidgeting bothers them and to find ways to cope with their feelings. 

Antidepressant medications: Others have told Jaswal that these medications seem to help.

Calming techniques: A common strategy for many people who have misokinesia is to try meditating or breathing exercises when they are exposed to someone who’s fidgeting as a way to calm their symptoms, Jaswal says. 

While no medication has been formally tested for treating misokinesia or misophonia, some doctors have reported that certain drugs approved for other medical conditions may help some patients control symptoms of these conditions. A recent paper in Case Reports in Psychiatry identified several, including:

Misokinesia is a psychological phenomenon that causes people to become distracted, angry, and frustrated when they see someone fidget or make other repetitive body movements. In some cases, a person with misokinesia may even have violent thoughts toward the fidgeter. Up to a third of people in North America may have misokinesia. It’s similar to a condition called misophonia, in which the same types of symptoms can be triggered by certain sounds. There is no approved medication for misokinesia, but many people are able to come up with strategies that help them control their symptoms. 

Is misokinesia related to ADHD?

Since scientists are still learning about misokinesia, it’s impossible to say whether it’s related to ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. ADHD is a mental condition that causes people to have trouble paying attention, keeping still, and controlling impulses. When Jaswal interviewed people with misokinesia, none said they had ADHD. But people with ADHD may be prone to fidgeting, Jaswal says, so if you have misokinesia, being around someone who has ADHD may be challenging. 

Is misokinesia a disability?

While some people find the symptoms of misokinesia distressing, it is not a form of disability. Jaswal calls it a "psychological phenomenon."

What medications are used for misokinesia?

There are no approved medications for misokinesia. But some doctors have had success treating patients with medicines approved for other conditions. 

How many people have misokinesia?

One survey of 4,100 college students found that about a third had experienced misokinesia at some time.