# Phantom cell-phone vibration; and psychophysical changes resulting from technology
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phantom-cell-phone-vibration-and-psychophysical-changes-resulting-from-technology/635043
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [September 18, 2012, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phantom-cell-phone-vibration-and-psychophysical-changes-resulting-from-technology/635043 "2012-09-18T03:16:59Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2012, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phantom-cell-phone-vibration-and-psychophysical-changes-resulting-from-technology/635043/21 "2012-09-18T22:58:37Z")
I get this, but my first conscious reaction is “oh shit a bee!”
Only by having this happen several times, realizing there’s no bee, and realizing it feels like a vibrating cell phone, did I realize my brain was hallucinating a cell phone vibration _then misinterpreting it as an insect-buzz vibration_!
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### Author:  [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2012, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phantom-cell-phone-vibration-and-psychophysical-changes-resulting-from-technology/635043/22 "2012-09-19T02:04:55Z")
> [@Senegoid](#):
>
> I think you humans have evolved to the point where your cell phones are part of you, and when you leave it at home, or simply just have it turned off, it’s like getting a limb amputated, only it’s like getting your cell phone amputated. Then you get to deal with the “phantom phone” syndrome. 😛
What makes you think we’re humans?
-D/a
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### Author:  [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2012, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phantom-cell-phone-vibration-and-psychophysical-changes-resulting-from-technology/635043/23 "2012-09-19T03:07:15Z")
I rarely get phantom buzzing, but, back when I used to use my phone a LOT more and always left the ringer on, I’d hear phantom ringing constantly. It would happen whenever an ambient noise (fan, car noise, music on the radio, etc) hit the same pitch as the first note of my ringtone. I would hear it AS the first note the ringtone and immediately look to my phone.
The phantom vibe seems like the same thing: some low level motion being interpreted by my brain as a phone buzz.
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### Author:  [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2012, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phantom-cell-phone-vibration-and-psychophysical-changes-resulting-from-technology/635043/24 "2012-09-19T03:56:46Z")
But we don’t hear phantom ringing of home phones. Perhaps with cell phones the alarming system is more feeble, and requires active antenna feelers (to mix metaphors) on our part.
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### Author:  [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2012, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phantom-cell-phone-vibration-and-psychophysical-changes-resulting-from-technology/635043/25 "2012-09-19T03:59:58Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#):
>
> But we don’t hear phantom ringing of home phones. Perhaps with cell phones the alarming system is more feeble, and requires active antenna feelers (to mix metaphors) on our part.
Keep in mind that cellphones are something that can ring anytime and anywhere. They’re omnipresent. That’s not true of home phones.
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### Author:  [@agoniunkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/agoniunkle)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2013, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phantom-cell-phone-vibration-and-psychophysical-changes-resulting-from-technology/635043/26 "2013-09-08T19:30:26Z")
Hi I suffer badly from most microwave appliances cellphone and masts, one of the symptoms is tinitas. ( a loud ringing between the ears ) when i am near a phone or mast ect. your phantom phone ring is real believe me; there are no limits to the symptoms caused by powerful electromagnetic radiation being fired into your body every day’ most people think these things have been proved safe but they have not BEEN PROVED SAFE AND NEVER WILL BE. visit utube and type in cell phone cancer or emf radiation and take the links from there. hope this helps //// agoniunkle
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### Author:  [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2013, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phantom-cell-phone-vibration-and-psychophysical-changes-resulting-from-technology/635043/27 "2013-09-08T19:40:00Z")
A cell phone is too small to have “powerful electromagnetic radiation”. Do you have this near power lines?
And it’s spelled “tinnitus”.
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