> I went: > > > I'm struck by the finding in the BMJ paper that taking the device off > > vibrate mode stopped the phenomenon in 75% of the cases. This doesn't > > necessarily mean it isn't a phantom. But a phone which can vibrate > > may vibrate, even if we don't know why.
to which David Epstein replied: > > I've had it when the phone wasn't even there. > Now _that's_ weird! David, have you been getting into the salvia again? Kidding aside, and assuming David isn't, the phantom vibe is beginning to look like it may well be a significant psychological phenomenon rather than merely a curiosity. Someone study it, quick! After writing this, I thought I'd try a Google search using "phantom vibration sensation". I immediately turned up this 2004 detailed description of the phenomenon: carverrn June 2nd, 2004 I've never used the vibrate feature for my cell phone before but two weeks ago I started using it. The phone is clipped to my right side belt so when it vibrates I feel it in my right thigh. Just yesterday I thought my phone was ringing (vibrating) several times but when I went to answer it no one was there and no missed calls. The next time it happened I just put my hand on the phone ... It wasn't vibrating ... But I could feel a vibration in my thigh where the phone vibration usually was. The duration is the same as the phone ring and usually happend a couple of times in a row but the feeling is actually a little duller then the real vibration from the phone. And it's not at the surface of the leg it feels more like it's vibrating inside the muscle but it's not a muscle twitch or spasm or at least I can't feel anything twitching. Someone suggested maybe it's a pinched nerve. http://ehealthforum.com/health/topic14052.html (plus experiences from others) and a USA Today article in 2007 which cites some speculations from authority figures: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-06-12-cellphones_N.htm Afterword: I've now discovered that what I thought (unaccountably) was the entire brief report in the BMJ was actually just the abstract, and they've covered literature review for the phenomenon quite well in the full article,plus some speculations on it. Available free at http://www.bmj.com/content/341/bmj.c6914.full.pdf Interestingly, they consider "phantom vibration syndrome" (of which there are three Facebook groups) a misnomer and define it instead as " tactile hallucinations, in which the brain perceives a sensation that is not actually present." That sounds a lot like tinnitus. Stephen -------------------------------------------- Stephen L. Black, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology, Emeritus Bishop's University Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada e-mail: sblack at ubishops.ca --------------------------------------------- --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=7424 or send a blank email to leave-7424-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
