So, you've just begun your road trip with some friends when you decide to read a book in the back seat.
But after only moments of reading, you start feeling dizzy, fatigued and nauseous.
Sounds like motion sickness...
The surprising truth is that about 30 percent of the population experiences motion sickness
with over 66 percent of people experiencing it in extreme conditions.
This happens when your eyes and inner ear are sending different signals to the brain.
The vestibular system inside your ear contributes to balance and spatial orientation.
Tiny hairs inside the canal detect the movement of a fluid inside it
allowing you to orient yourself.
If you lean to the side, the fluid moves and signals are sent to your brain to help you understand this.
But oftentimes, in a car, on a boat, or in the IMAX theatre
your vestibular system is transmitting a different signal from your other senses.
In the case of your car, your eyes see that everything in the car is seemingly stationary,
particularly when you stare at a book.
But your ears feel the movement of the car.
Conversely, in the IMAX theatre, your eyes see a lot of motion while your ear is experiencing very little movement at all.
This mismatch of signals tells the brain something's wrong.
So why does it induce vomiting?
The leading theory suggests that, evolutionarily, if the input signals from your ears and eyes weren't matching,
you'd likely ingested a neurotoxin.
The easiest way to get rid of it? Throw it up.
This was a fairly useful and accurate system before the advent of technology and advanced transportation.
Too bad the brain never got the memo.
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