Motion sickness while reading in a car is an issue that afflicts many, with long drives often leading passengers to turn to books for entertainment. Unfortunately, this activity can induce nausea in some individuals.

A TikTok user claims that about 30% of people cannot read during car rides due to sensory conflict, a condition where the brain gets mixed signals from our senses.

 This happens when the body feels motion but the eyes focus on the static pages of a book, causing disorientation in the brain.

Felicia’s viral video educates viewers: “30% of the population cannot read while they’re riding in a moving car, and the reason why is hilarious. There’s this thing called sensory conflict.

“It’s when one of your senses is telling your brain one thing while another sense is telling it something else.”

She adds, “When you’re in a moving car, your body is telling your brain that you’re in motion, but when you try to look at the book, your eyes are telling your brain that you’re standing still, so our brains are really confused. How can we be moving and staying still at the same time?”

Lastly, Felicia compares the disorientation during motion sickness to experiencing a “psychedelic trip” as though ingesting a harmful substance, which results in feelings of nausea.

She commented: “Our ancestors never had to deal with things like cars, but what they did have was mushrooms. So our brains assume that the reason we’re having sensory conflict is because we ate something crazy out in the wilderness.

“And the reason you get nauseous is because your brain thinks you need to barf up whatever it is you might have accidentally eaten.”

BBC’s Science Focus magazine cites Luis Villazon, a science and technology writer, who explained that motion sickness comes from a mismatch of signals between the inner ear and eyes on movement.

He said: “This sensory conflict triggers nausea, possibly because the brain thinks you’ve eaten something toxic that’s making you hallucinate. About a third of us are more susceptible to motion sickness, especially children aged 2-12, seniors, people with migraines, and pregnant women being most at risk.”

Some of Felicia’s video responders mentioned that they can read without issue when traveling by train or plane, suggesting these modes of transit, which offer smoother and more continuous motion, reduce the risk of sickness compared to the erratic nature of car travel, characterized by starts, stops, and sharp turns.

One person remarked: “I can’t even look away from the road without getting nauseous. I can’t even ride in the back seat because I don’t have a good enough view of the outside, so I get sick.”

Another shared: “I have this problem! “.