Phantom Vibrations! What are… *pause* Hold on, my phone’s buzzing. *looks at phone*
UGH, GOT ME AGAIN.
Hey guys! I’m Chastity, the Associate Producer for DNews. Have you ever thought your phone
was vibrating when it really wasn’t? Relax - you’re not going crazy. As it turns out,
most of us have!
They’re called phantom vibrations, and they’re a common phenomenon since the turn of the
mobile age. These sensory hallucinations are so common that researchers have done studies
devoted to finding out what the heck is going on here.
The British Medical Journal conducted the first survey on phantom vibrations in 2010,
asking hospital workers about their experience. 68% of them reported reaching out for their
phones when they weren’t ringing, on either a weekly or monthly basis.
The cause of these vibrations wasn’t made clear, but the researchers suspect our minds
are playing tricks on us. We deal with an overwhelming amount of sensory input, which
is only made worse by our attachment to our phones. To cope with that, our brains apply
filters based on what they expect to find. So when we anticipate a call or text, our
brains might misinterpret sensations -Like for example, pressure from clothing, or muscle
contractions, resulting in phantom vibrations.
In the case of the hospital workers study, this reason makes a lot of sense. Medical
professionals are expected to carry mobile devices and constantly be on call, so it’s
no surprise that they reported phantom vibrations occurring so frequently.
In 2012, a study published in Computers in Human Behavior looked at the prevalence of
phantom vibrations among college undergrads. 89% of the students reported perceived vibrations
from their phones, and they experienced them about once every two weeks, on average.
This study took it a step further and looked at emotional reactions to the phantom vibrations.
Overall, few of the undergrads were bothered by them. But those who did find them annoying
were rated higher in the emotional reaction scale of text message dependence.
According to CSU psychologist Dr. Larry Rosen, phantom vibrations stem from a compulsive,
obsessive behavior we have with our phones. With smartphones, we’re constantly connected
to our network, family, and friends, and this ever-present connection might be responsible
for the fake vibrations. Dr. Rosen recommends weaning ourselves away from our phones for
short periods, like 30 minutes to an hour.
The takeaway here is that these phantom vibrations? They’re all in your mind. If they start
to bother you, take more phone breaks. Cut down on social media check-ins, stay off your
phone during dinner and especially during face-to-face conversations. That’s just
bad manners.
How often do you have phantom vibrations? Let us know in the comments below, and I’ll
see you next time. Thanks for watching!