New Research Links Motionโข Sickness to Visual-Vestibular Mismatch, Offers Tech-Based Solutions
Lisbon, Portugal – October 31,โ 2025, 10:30:23 โWEST – A growing body of research is pinpointing the root cause of motion sickness – a disconnect โbetween what your eyes perceiveโข and what your inner ear senses โฃ- โขand surprisingly, your smartphoneโค may hold a โkey to โalleviating it. Affecting an estimated 25% of people, motion sicknessโข can disrupt travel, work, and even virtual reality experiences. Scientistsโ are nowโ leveraging technology to โaddress this sensory conflict, offering potential relief for millions.
Motion โsickness isn’t a โdisease, but a normal reaction to โconflicting signals sent to theโ brain. โขYour inner ear,responsible for balance,detects movement. However, if yourโค eyes are focused on a stationary objectโฃ – likeโข the pages of a book, โor the screen ofโฃ aโ phone – the brain receivesโ aโฃ contradictory message. This mismatch triggers aโค cascade of physiological โขresponses, including nausea, dizziness, and vomiting. โ The severityโฃ varies greatly,โค but understanding the underlying mechanism โis driving new preventative strategies.
“The core issue is sensoryโข conflict,”โค explains Dr. Mariana Silva, a neuroscientist at the Universityโข of Lisbon specializing in vestibular โdisorders. “When the visual inputโข doesn’t align โคwith โthe vestibularโ system’s perception of motion, โฃthe brain interprets this as a potential sign โฃof โneurotoxicityโ – essentially,โ a โsignal that something is wrong. The resulting symptomsโ are a protective โขmechanism.”
Historically,remedies have ranged from ginger and acupressure to medications likeโฃ scopolamine. โฃHowever, recent studies suggest that visual refocusing techniques,โ facilitated by โsmartphone โคapps, can โคbe highly effective. Apps utilizing augmented reality (AR) or virtualโฃ reality (VR) can create a stable visual horizon, even โฃduring turbulent motion.
One such โapp, developed by researchers at โคMIT, projects a virtual horizon onto โขthe user’s field โof vision, effectively providing the brainโฃ withโ the expected visual input corresponding to the detected movement. Early trials have shown a important โreduction in symptoms for passengers in cars and on boats.
Furthermore, simply looking at the horizon outsideโ aโ vehicle can provideโ similar benefits. Experts recommend avoiding reading or prolonged screen time during travel,โ and rather focusing on distant, โstable points.โ
The research also โhighlights individual susceptibility. Factors like age, genetics, and prior experience with motion can all play โa role. While a definitive cureโ remains elusive,โค the growing โunderstanding of theโข visual-vestibular interaction,โ coupled with accessible technological solutions, โคoffers a promising outlook for thoseโฃ prone to motionโ sickness. future research will focusโ on personalized interventions tailored to individual sensory profiles.
