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Electrophysiological Correlates of Misokinesia: ERP Evidence for Rapid Aversive Processing of Triggering Movements

Poster Session B - Sunday, March 8, 2026, 8:00 – 10:00 am PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballroom

Drishti Datta¹, Dipansha Tokas¹, Todd C. Handy¹; ¹University of British Columbia

Misokinesia is a psychological phenomenon defined by a strong negative affective or emotional response to the sight of someone else's small and repetitive movements, such as seeing someone mindlessly fidgeting with a hand or foot (Schröder et al., 2013). The negative emotional response experienced by a misokinesic individual could lead to difficulties in their personal and/or professional lives. Our previous work has identified that approximately one-third of individuals in both student and non-student, non-clinical populations report misokinesia symptoms. Despite its prevalence, the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying misokinesia sensitivity remain unknown. The present study combines psychometric and electrophysiological approaches to investigate whether individuals exhibiting misokinetic tendencies show distinct event-related potential (ERP) signatures when viewing movement-based triggers. Participants will first complete the Misokinesia Assessment Questionnaire (MkAQ) to index individual differences and classify participants into low, moderate, and high misokinesia groups. During EEG recording, participants will passively view a rapid stream of images and/or split-second video clips depicting either triggering movements or neutral movements. In a subsequent rating phase, participants will evaluate each clip's aversiveness. ERP responses to each participant's most aversive versus least aversive stimuli will then be compared. We predict that triggering movements will be associated with distinct responses in sensory and/or post-sensory ERP components, compared to non-triggering stimuli. By identifying neural signatures of misokinesia, this research aims to situate it within broader models of affective evaluation and sensory intolerance, providing electrophysiological evidence for the phenomenon.

Topic Area: PERCEPTION & ACTION: Motor control