Why Movies Make You Sick According To Science

May 2024 · 2 minute read

Nausea and motion sickness induced by cars, airplanes, and movies are caused by something called vestibular conflict, or the incongruity between what our minds, our eyes, and our inner-ear balance regulators have detected. The realistic images in 3D movies and IMAX films make the experience just that much more convincing for both our emotional experience as well as our bodies' natural reaction to what we're seeing. As an associate professor of occupational therapy at the New York Institute of Technology, Christina Finn told Real Simple: "[Y]our eyes may detect movement on the screen while your body remains stationary, setting up a conflict that can cause similar feelings of motion sickness." For online movie watching in particular, blue light exposure could also be a contributing factor.

According to Live Science, studies have shown the more complex the pictures viewers see, the quicker that some feel nauseous. One fascinating aspect of moving imagery and motion-sickness research is that we also receive contradictory sensory information as far as what's still and what's in motion. In 2008, University of Toronto physiology researcher and professor Bob Cheung told the Toronto Star: "This sensory conflict is between what your eyes are visually telling you and what your other sensors that govern orientation are telling you. Some people are able to resolve this very quickly and some can't." To help address the issue, Cheung recommended sitting as far back as possible in the theater and — if possible — blocking your peripheral vision.

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