What is misokinesia?

Often considered as the “visual counterpart” to misophonia, misokinesia involves strong emotional and physical reactions to certain visual triggers, especially repetitive or rhythmic movements, such as leg shaking, hair twirling, or lights flashing.

Research on misokinesia is still very limited: as of 2025, only two published research articles focus on misokinesia on its own, compared to the hundreds of studies on misophonia. The research that does exist shows a high rate of overlap between the two and suggests that experiences vary within the misophonia population: some people have primarily auditory triggers, some have primarily visual triggers, and many experience both (Jaswal et al., 2021).

Right now, the boundary between the two is not well defined. The current consensus definition of misophonia includes visual triggers, even when those triggers are not clearly linked to sounds (Swedo et al., 2022). As a result, visual triggers may be discussed either under misophonia or under the term misokinesia, depending on the source—research has not clearly separated the conditions, so misokinesia currently falls under the broader misophonia umbrella.

At the same time, visual triggers are rarely represented in how misophonia is discussed or depicted. Articles, research, and public imagery tend to focus on sound—headphones, hands over ears, audio-based explanations—while leaving out representation of visual triggers.

This gap in representation and awareness can make visual triggers seem rare, even though research and lived experience suggest otherwise. Visual triggers are a common part of the broader misophonia experience, not a fringe or separate offshoot. Excluding visual triggers from conversations about misophonia risks leaving many people without the resources and community they need.