It was a dark and stormy night when suddenly… “buzz buzz.”
You feel your phone ring and reach for your pocket to see what it might be. You go to turn the screen, and the truth dawns on you!
There's nothing there.
No missed call, new text, or even a new notification from some app or media.
Fret not.
This is a typical case of Phantom Vibration Syndrome, a psychological phenomenon characterized by the tactile hallucination “perceived” by our brains when nothing has vibrated or buzzed.
While not a medically diagnosable or recognized syndrome, this occurrence is still fascinating to consider and study.
This is so much so that a piece published in the National Library of Medicine examines the “Prevalence and Pattern of Phantom Ringing and Phantom Vibration among Medical Interns and their Relationship with Smartphone Use and Perceived Stress.”
Furthermore, numerous major media outlets, such as CBS News, BBC’s Science Focus Magzine, and Psychology Today, have written think pieces on the matter.
It turns out that while it may be spooky season and there are cobwebs and spiders everywhere, the scariest thing we face can be found in our pockets.
So what? The screen is blank. No harm, no foul, right?
We were just “checking” to make sure, and in one sense, that’s right.
Being cautious and perhaps even a bit skeptical is an excellent trait to employ,
But just as most anyone would agree, if you begin to hallucinate, then perhaps there's an underlying issue that should be addressed. And that's what Phantom Vibrations, according to Dr. Michelle Drouin, a psychology professor who has studied this phenomenon at Purdue University Fort Wayne, claims them to be.
The real issue lies in the psychological motivation behind the action itself, in the “why” behind the doing.
Sure, you may sometimes be walking and bump into something or someone and your body might interpret the bump as a phone notification, but that's not too troubling.
It turns out two major factors drive this seemingly “uncontrollable” action when there is nothing there.
1. Acclimation and a culture of 24/7 Quick Responsiveness
We tend to think that since many of us have grown up in a technologically oriented world, this is the way things have always been and should always be done.
Constant notifications at ludicrous hours are standard. They are to be expected and not a bother.
In addition, in a high-speed, instant-gratification, and next-dopamine hit-seeking society, others seem to always expect their messages to be seen and responded to as soon as possible.
Neither of these is the case. It doesn’t have to be this way, and you have complete liberty whether or not you wait to respond or perhaps let a day or two pass by.
2. A tiny, petite, and quite ambitious emotion known as Anxiety.
The notion that we “might have missed something” is terrifying to some, and often, it's why we repeatedly over-check our phones “just to be sure.”
Otherwise known as FOMO, or the “Fear Of Missing Out.”
This tendency to experience Phantom Vibrations has been linked to Anxiety, over-vigilance, psychological stress, and emotional disturbance, which can all lead to overall decreasing mental health.
Case in point, our worrying and hyper-sensitivity to notifications eat away at our peace.
—
This week, be intentional about how much control you let your phone have.
Maybe delete a couple of those apps that are causing the stress or realize that not checking the notification immediately isn't the end of the world.
Perhaps silence it all together and shift from having a “fear of missing out” to simply missing out on fear.
It might just be the beginning of freedom.
-Making The Most Of Being Curious
Daniel J. Cuesta
Resources:
National Library Of Medicine, “Prevalence and Pattern of Phantom Ringing and Phantom Vibration among Medical Interns and their Relationship with Smartphone Use and Perceived Stress”: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6149296/
CBS News, “Why do we feel phantom vibrations from our phones?”: https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/why-do-we-feel-phantom-vibrations-from-our-phones/
DermNet, “Phantom Vibration Syndrome”: https://dermnetnz.org/topics/phantom-vibration-syndrome#:~:text=What%20are%20the%20clinical%20features,Anxiety
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