The more we use our phone, the more addicted we get to it. But who could blame you? With thousands of new apps and unlimited access to the internet, the world is your virtual oyster. So it’s tough not to feel connected to this immense power.
We also rely on phones to remind us that there are people who want to stay in touch. We are human after all, so we want to be missed and wanted. So that’s one of the main reasons why our brain tricks us into thinking someone missed us and called or texted us.
Unfortunately, in most cases, it’s just an illusion created by your inner desire. But the more time that you spend using your phone, the higher the chances that you’ll wind up experiencing this phenomenon of a phantom call or a phantom text.
People even feel phantom calls when the phone is on the desk. If this happens once or twice you’re okay. But if you feel that your phone is vibrating even when it’s not on you and it happens for times or more per day, then you have a serious problem.
Anyone can experience a phantom call or text at any age. But as you might have guessed, It’s far more common among teens since they seem to rely on their phones to do just about everything.
Phantom texts and calls are more common among Smartphone users. For some reason, Smartphone uses tend to feel phantom texts more often than customers who have other featured phones.
So is this phantom phenomenon really a threat to your health? Probably not. After all, it’s not technically a disease. But if a user feels his phone vibrating all the time when it really isn’t, he or she will find it difficult to function.
Most of you probably thought that you were the only ones. But you’re not alone. Up to 90 percent of people who own a Smartphone have suffered this phenomenon while their phone was in their pocket.
The syndrome is caused by “learned bodily habits” according to Dr. Robert Rosenberger. The philosopher and assistant professor at Georgia Institute of Technology, said that as gadgets and gizmos become more a part of our lives, we develop anxiety caused by these daily technologies.
“It becomes a part of you,” according to research in the Computers In Human Behavior Journal. You become so accustomed to your phone that it’s like it’s a part of your body in the same way that wearing glasses can.
Dr. Rosenberger claims that phantom vibration syndrome is just a hallucination. Anything can trigger it from the movement of clothing or muscle spasms. But regardless of the true nature of the sensation, your mind will perceive it as your phone vibrating.
In some cases, phantom vibration syndrome is a physical reaction as well. When your phone logs onto the nearest mobile mast, it will send out an RF pulse of different levels of strength. So if you have your phone in your pocket, the nerves in your legs will react to those pulses, creating that phantom sensation.
News media and incoming messages are both exciting and rewarding. But they can cause a bit of an obsession according to Randi Smith, Ph. D., a licensed clinical social worker and associate professor of psychology at Metropolitan State University of Denver. There’s just this fear that we’re going to miss a text or that people will think we’re not responsive enough, hence why this phantom vibration syndrome is so common.
Most people are simply hooked on their phones and social media. Smith, even pointed out that most people who put their phones down, couldn’t go an hour without them, and often reported back to the device like a subservient child.
Smith did point out that this syndrome could spell the end to human interaction. Too much technology has forced us to stay attached to our devices, which has ultimately prevented us from engaging with other people. So ultimately, human interaction could go out the window in a few short years.
Robert Rosenberg, Ph. D., believes that there are many factors that contribute to this phenomenon. Among them are habits, anxiety, and brain chemistry which all play a role in these phone vibrations that aren’t really there to begin with.
Technology can’t change your brain, but it can rewire it. It’s through learning habits that this phenomenon has come to exist. Technology, and regular cell phone usage have rewired us in ways where most people find it hard to navigate in the world. So it’s only natural that we would start falsely perceiving these vibrations when they aren’t really there.
Fortunately, there’s an easy way to prevent or cure this condition before it disrupts your life. You’ll simply have to spend less time on your phone. It’s tough, we know. But this will slowly decrease your dependency on the phone, allowing you to have a more productive life in the real world.
