If you're irritated by the mere sight of people fidgeting, a new scientific study suggests you're not alone.
Researchers in Canada recruited 4,100 participants who were asked to self-report whether they have sensitivities to seeing people fidget.
They found that almost one in three people experienced the psychological phenomenon known as 'misokinesia, or a 'hatred of movements'.
Misokinesia is psychological response to the sight of someone else's small but repetitive movements, the experts say, and it can seriously affect daily living.
Misokinesia - the 'hatred of movements' - is a psychological response to the sight of someone else's small and repetitive movements (concept image)
Misokinesia differs from misophonia, which refers to getting annoyed by noises other people make, rather than actions that are perceived visually.
The new study was conducted by PhD student Sumeet Jaswal and Professor Todd Handy at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, who claim that misokinesia has barely been studied until now.
'I was inspired to study misokinesia after a romantic partner told me that I have a fidgeting habit, which I wasn't aware of,' said Dr Handy.
'She confessed that she experiences a lot of stress whenever she sees me or anyone else fidget.
'As a visual cognitive neuroscientist, this really piqued my interest to find out what is happening in the brain.'
The team asked their 4,100 participants – both students and other members of the general population – to self-report whether they had sensitivities to seeing people fidget.
This was determined through questions including 'Do you ever have strong negative feelings, thoughts or physical reactions when seeing or viewing other peoples' fidgeting or repetitive movements (e.g., seeing someone's foot shaking, fingers tapping, or gum chewing)?'
The study authors say: 'Among those who regularly experience misokinesia sensitivity, there is a growing grass-roots recognition of the challenges that it presents as evidenced by on-line support groups'
They then assessed the emotional and social impacts of misokinesia in the people who did report signs of the phenomenon.
'They are negatively impacted emotionally and experience reactions such as anger, anxiety or frustration as well as reduced enjoyment in social situations, work and learning environments,' said Dr Handy.
'Some even pursue fewer social activities because of the condition. We also found these impacts increase with age and older adults reported a broader range of challenges.'
As to why people are impacted negatively when they see others fidget, the researchers aren't sure, but it's possible 'mirror neurons' may provide an answer.
Mirror neurons are a class of neuron that fire both when we execute an action and when we observe someone else executing it.
Mirror neurons activate when an individual moves, but they also activate when the individual sees others move – and they've previously been implicated in
