Do you often think your mobile phone is ringing or vibrating when it is not? That’s called Phantom Vibration Syndrome. The number of people who use mobile phones around the world is increasing. Problem behaviors associated with phones such as behavioral addictions, emotional disturbances, and phantom vibration syndrome have also been seen in an increasing trend. These conditions occur due to overuse or misuse of technology. Phantom sensations like phantom vibration (PV) and phantom ringing (PR)— the sensations of vibration and ringing of the phone when they are not are among the latest in the category of “techno-pathology” to receive global attention.
Phantom Vibration Syndrome was previously known as “ringxiety”. Psychologists believe that phantom vibration syndrome or “false ringing” is an unusual activity that portrays our deep connection with our phones. The human brain has a difficult time deciding whether the signal coming from near the skin is actually from the phone vibrating or from any other source. Ninety percent(90%) of undergraduate students have experienced phantom vibration at least once in their lifetime. According to Robert Rosenberger, Ph.D., who studies the impact of technology on our behavior at the Georgia Institute of Technology, even the slightest muscle twitch or feeling of clothing moving could be wrongly interpreted as phone vibration.
Studies have also reported a higher prevalence of phantom sensations when using the phone in vibration mode and among those who spend more time using their mobile phone. The experience of phantom sensations does not indicate psychopathology and is far from any pathological hallucination, however, it could be considered as a sign indicating problematic mobile phone usage and possibly high levels of stress. (NCBI) Due to the high-stress level brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, we expect that cases will continue to rise as more people become independent of their phones. But we must always keep in our mind that too much or any excess of everything is bad. Do everything in moderation!
- PNFP Rowence F. Zorilla, RND
References:
1. Prevalence and Pattern of Phantom Ringing and Phantom Vibration among Medical Interns and their Relationship with Smartphone Use and Perceived Stress
Ajish G. Mangot, Vasantmeghna S. Murthy, Sharad V. Kshirsagar, Ajay H. Deshmukh, and Dinesh V. Tembe
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6149296/
2. Do You Have 'Phantom Vibration Syndrome'?
https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20160111/phones-phantom-vibration
3. Techopedia Explains Phantom Vibration Syndrome
https://www.techopedia.com/definition/31221/phantom-vibration-syndrome
