copperhead Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 I never realized that this happens to anyone else. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-06-12-cellphones_N.htm Good vibrations? Bad? None at all? Some call it "phantom vibration syndrome." Others prefer "vibranxiety" — the feeling when you answer your vibrating cellphone, only to find it never vibrated at all. "It started happening about three years ago, when I first got a cellphone," says Canadian Steven Garrity, 28, of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. "I'd be sitting on the couch and feel my phone start to vibrate, so I'd reach down and pull it out of my pocket. But the only thing ringing was my thigh." Though no known studies have analyzed what may cause spontaneous buzzing, anecdotes such as Garrity's ring true with the public. Spurred by curiosity, Garrity, a Web developer, described the recurring false alarms on his blog. The response was not imaginary: More than 30 cellphone users reported that they, too, experienced phantom vibrations. "I ended up hearing from a lot of people who said, 'Hey, the exact same thing happens to me,' " Garrity says. "And it was somewhat comforting, because it made me think I wasn't insane, after all." Some who experienced recurring phantom vibrations wondered whether the phenomenon had physical roots: Was it caused by nerve damage or muscle memory? But experts say the false alarms simply demonstrate how easily habits are developed. Psychologically, the key to deciphering phantom vibrations is "hypothesis-guided search," a theory that describes the selective monitoring of physical sensations, says Jeffrey Janata, director of the behavioral medicine program at University Hospitals in Cleveland. It suggests that when cellphone users are alert to vibrations, they are likely to experience sporadic false alarms, he says. "You come armed with this template that leads you to be attentive to sensations that represent a cellphone vibrating," Janata says. "And it leads you to over-incorporate non-vibratory sensations and attribute them to the idea that you're receiving a phone call." Alejandro Lleras, a sensation and perception professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, adds that learning to detect rings and vibrations is part of a perceptual learning process. "When we learn to respond to a cellphone, we're setting perceptual filters so that we can pick out that (ring or vibration), even under noisy conditions," Lleras says. "As the filter is created, it is imperfect, and false alarms will occur. Random noise is interpreted as a real signal, when in fact, it isn't." Phantom cellphone vibrations also can be explained by neuroplasticity — the brain's ability to form new connections in response to changes in the environment. When cellphone users regularly experience sensations, such as vibrating, their brains become wired to those sensations, Janata says. "Neurological connections that have been used or formed by the sensation of vibrating are easily activated," he says. "They're over-solidified, and similar sensations are incorporated into that template. They become a habit of the brain." Cellphone company spokesmen, meanwhile, say they are not aware of any consumer complaints about phantom vibrations. Cellphones cannot sporadically vibrate on their own, says Mark Siegel of AT&T, formerly Cingular Wireless. "Perhaps in the mind of the cellphone user only," he says. But Rob Whitehouse, vice president of communications at University Hospitals, insists the phantom vibrations he experiences each day are simply proof of how important constant communication is. "It's some psychological expression of my need to always be connected," he says. "It's like when e-mail first came out, and we constantly checked our inboxes, because getting a new message was so exciting. "I like that better than 'I'm crazy,' anyway." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokin5s Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 No.... now my blackberry... I'm very compulsive about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSUGT Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ansonivan Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 Nice! I never really gave it much thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 it happens to me when i normally have loose pants and sometimes when i don't even have my cell phone on me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radio Flyer1647545514 Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 Happens to me all the time. I start texting at work and I just think the god damn thing is vibrating and nothing is there to be read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheHaze Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 Always happens when I'm at work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin R. Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 Always happens to me in the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang302 Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 it happens to me when im just walking around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wnaplay1647545503 Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 I constantly pick up my nextel because it sounds like someone is hitting me up(chirps when 2 way is activated). But noones ever there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medium fast Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 Usually,But I forgot my cell phone at home today, and I was going crazy without it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supplicium Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 Happens to me all the time, usually when I wear loose pants, or I am at work seating down at my desk. Sometimes in the car too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87GT Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 This happens to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImUrOBGYN Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 Ditto. I also have a habit of picking my phone up before it rings. Freaks my gf out. I do it relatively often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad is Dead Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 yup I do it atleast everyday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty2Hotty Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 Demons talk to me via text message sometimes............ they told me to tell you hello. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rally Pat Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 Happens to me all the time too, with loose pants like others said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 Happens to me when the ringer is on loud but not vibrate (ughh...fuck SLVR) and I have the radio on, can't hear it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinner Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 never has happened to me that I can remember. Guess I'm different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
351mach11647545510 Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 always. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorne Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 It only gets worse if you've got any subwoofers in the car. Even factory systems if they have descent base will make you think your ringing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copperhead Posted September 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 I noticed today while I was at work that I went to check my blackberry in its holster to see if it was vibrating, when the thing was already in my hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckeye1647545503 Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 I feel it vib sometimes even when I don't have my phone with me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cNeutron Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 It only gets worse if you've got any subwoofers in the car. Even factory systems if they have descent base will make you think your ringing. +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wease Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 never has happened to me that I can remember. Guess I'm different. Me neither. I really don't use my cell phone a whole lot. I really don't see the need to have people call me all the time and know where I am... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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