Phantom Vibration Syndrome
Posted on July 14, 2017 • 2 min read • 301 words
Huh? You clearly felt your phone vibrate. And you don’t even have it with you. It’s a bit like yesterday when you felt your phone vibrate, without any new message or email.
Apparently I’m not the only one experiencing this phenomenon. There is even a name for this phenomenon: Phantom Vibration Syndrome.
What is Phantom Vibration Syndrome?
Phantom Vibration Syndrome is the phenomenon where you ‘feel’ that your phone is ringing, but this is not actually the case. Even if you don’t have your phone with you, you can suffer from this phenomenon. Studies have actually been done on Phantom Vibration Syndrome. Some of these studies show that almost eighty percent of people with a smart phone sometimes experience phantom vibrations.
Your brain is busy all the time determining whether your smart phone is ringing or not, based on all kinds of sensory information. It is not always easy for your brain to make the right judgment. You don’t want to miss a call, so you will be more likely to think that your phone is ringing when it is not. This means you feel (or hear) your phone even though it is not ringing.
Some experts think there is more to this phenomenon. The mobile phone has become a fifth limb for many. They live in a constant ‘wake mode’ (even at night). When they hear a sound that even remotely resembles that of the telephone, the brain goes into overdrive: ‘your phone is going off!’.
If you thought you were the only one, be happy. Entire tribes experience this. Nothing to worry about. You do not have to undergo treatment, unless you do a phone detox. Your brain is just trying to hear or feel. And sometimes they get a little confused by all the information they get.
