'Phantom Vibration Syndrome': Do You Have It?

Some of us are apparently so anxious about missing a call or text that we've grown hyperaware of the sensations that indicate one is on the way.

At the Georgia Institute of Technology, Robert Rosenberger, PhD, investigates the influence of technology on human behaviour. He claims that sensing a vibrating phone has become a habit, and that the tiniest muscle twitch or movement of clothes might be misinterpreted as phone vibration.

At the Georgia Institute of Technology, Robert Rosenberger, PhD, investigates the influence of technology on human behaviour. He claims that sensing a vibrating phone has become a habit, and that the tiniest muscle twitch or movement of clothes might be misinterpreted as phone vibration.

According to him, a study of students indicated that almost 90% of them reported feeling the symptoms.

The hallucinations are now caused by cell phones, but in the 1990s, patients experienced "phantom pager syndrome."

Prior to being dubbed "phantom vibration syndrome," the illness was known as "ringxiety."

Technology 'Becomes a Part of You'

Rosenberger said in a statement, "Think about wearing a pair of spectacles." "You may forget you're wearing glasses if you've become accustomed to them and they've nearly become a part of you. This is how the phone in your pocket looks.

"Your phone becomes a part of you through physiological habit, and you learn to interpret the phone's vibrations as an incoming call or text. As a result of these habits, it is quite simple to misinterpret other comparable experiences."

Rosenberger reported his findings on phantom vibration syndrome in the journal Computers in Human Behavior, claiming that most people do not see the phantom signals "particularly inconvenient."

He argues that rather than technology "rewiring the brain," the desire to check phones stems from basic human inclination to obsess over things.

He compares it to continually looking to see if a guest has come or a commuter straining to hear a train approach.

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