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One third of us could have a mental health condition of which we are unaware. It is a phenomenon called misokinesia. This is the distress caused by watching people who fidget. All of us know one or two people who cannot stop fidgeting. Most fidgets are children. Fidgeting involves making small movements repetitively, especially with the hands and feet. Most fidgets fidget because of nervousness or impatience. Misokinesia sufferers can have an "intense hatred" of people tapping their fingers, clicking a pen, twiddling their hair, or jiggling their thighs. Misokinesia is similar to a condition called misophonia. This is a profound dislike of other people's noises, such as heavy breathing, throat clearing or loud eating.
The study is from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Researchers interviewed 21 people belonging to a misokinesia support group. After talking to the group's members, the researchers concluded that misokinesia can be so distressing as to be "life limiting". Sufferers can experience extreme feelings of rage, torture and disgust. One patient confessed: "If I see someone tapping their fingers on a desk, my immediate thought is to chop their fingers off with a knife." Dr Jane Gregory, a clinical psychologist, told the BBC that "violent images might pop into the head" of misokinesia sufferers. She said people are triggered by the tiniest of things, without knowing why.
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