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Some addicted smartphone users hear “phantom” vibrations, report suggests

By on January 16, 2012 at 12:14pm in Mobile News


Smartphones have given us the ability to keep connected – whether it’s checking your email, surfing the web, texting, Facebook or Tweeting. But all this connectedness with the constant bings, beeps and vibrations is also apparently causing an increase of stress. A new research report from the University of Worcester states that those who use a smartphone are more stressed than those who don’t. 100 volunteers participated in the survey who first received a smartphone for solely work purposes, gradually found themselves checking/rechecking for new notifications after work hours. Sometimes these users even heard “phantom” vibrations which they thought were new messages, but actually weren’t.

Researcher Richard Balding said that “Smart phone use is increasing at a rapid rate and we are likely to see an associated increase in stress from social networking. Organisations will not flourish if their employees are stressed, irrespective of the source of stress, so it is in their interest to encourage their employees to switch their phones off; cut the number of work emails sent out of hours, and reduce people’s temptation to check their devices.”

Source: Telegraph
Via: Mashable

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Discussion

22 comments for “Some addicted smartphone users hear “phantom” vibrations, report suggests”

  1. i felt phantom vibrations in my right leg (phone in my right pocket) long before smart phone was mass produced. I thought that was called being paranoid of an incoming text

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 39 Thumb down 0

    Posted by Al | January 16, 2012, 12:19 pm
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  2. Agreed. I had the samething. i feel them all the time. i keep getting messages…emails..calls….notificatiosn muhahahaha……oh…its just the leg cancer acting up :(

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0

    Posted by iEtthy | January 16, 2012, 12:23 pm
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    • Problem is, i still feel them in my leg after i relocated my phone to my jacket / sweater pocket (it’s just easier to pull my Galaxy Nexus out of those pocket compared to my pants pocket!) I think it’ll be a lasting effect ):

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1

      Posted by Al | January 16, 2012, 12:44 pm

  3. I have that feeling since I started to have a cellphone 6-7 years ago (so 3 years before I had a smartphone). It’s constant even in the period were I’m using/relying less on my phone. So I’m wondering if it’s really related to a sign of being addicted or simply of being conditionned to react to such phenomenon.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 0

    Posted by Phenomenon | January 16, 2012, 12:32 pm
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  4. LOL Y’all a buncha coocoos in the head.. eH!?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 9

    Posted by Doorknob | January 16, 2012, 12:39 pm
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  5. I like to think that my technological life will only be complete when I start hallucinating visual overlays in my cab window.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 1

    Posted by Pacoup | January 16, 2012, 12:44 pm
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  6. I also feel that on my left leg (phone in my left pocket) since my first cellphone, a old nokia 8 years ago. Something I’m wondering if it is du to cellular waves… And if it is bad. It is a weird feeling.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0

    Posted by diablo2070 | January 16, 2012, 12:46 pm
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  7. Weird, i had this feeling with my old samsung flip phone 3 years ago, but ever since i got my first smartphone, it stopped :S

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0

    Posted by Nick | January 16, 2012, 12:48 pm
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  8. Bzzzt, BZzzt, Beep, toot.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0

    Posted by Doorknob | January 16, 2012, 12:52 pm
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  9. I can’t decide if I need to go to the bathroom, or check my laundry.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1

    Posted by shaggyskunk | January 16, 2012, 1:25 pm
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  10. Sometimes I think I hear the notification sound, which I’ve set to a quick pop noise, when it’s not really there. I never feel any “phantom vibrations” though.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0

    Posted by captain | January 16, 2012, 1:35 pm
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  11. well context has a big part to play here. if the phone is a WORK phone where WORK relate items are often directed to it, then YES there should be a hire rate of stress linked to the use of THAT phone. To extrapolate from that the idea this article perpetuates that idea that all phone users who often use there devices are more stressed then those who does not is not really that responsible or true

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1

    Posted by JV | January 16, 2012, 1:46 pm
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  12. I wonder if the guys that watch “p**n” suffer from the same thing?!?! Hmmm

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1

    Posted by Mark | January 16, 2012, 1:46 pm
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  13. There only coming out with an article on this now?!?!?

    I’ve been experiencing this for about 10 years now. lol.

    Doc told me he didn’t know what it was, and to ignore it.

    I guess, now I know.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0

    Posted by RidgeReider | January 16, 2012, 2:36 pm
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  14. LOL, going to have to find a way to troll people with this information!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0

    Posted by SAAB | January 16, 2012, 2:54 pm
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  15. lol reminded me of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF8khJ7P4Wg

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1

    Posted by niceheadphones | January 16, 2012, 3:52 pm
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  16. Not addicted, still feel phantom vibrations. Have since I’ve had a cell phone. I turn off vibrate too.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0

    Posted by MattyMattMatt | January 16, 2012, 7:02 pm
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  17. smartphone..?????, I have felt phantom vibrations since 1997 a year after I got my first cell phone.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    Posted by Graeme | January 16, 2012, 9:01 pm
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  18. Good, I’m not the only one.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    Posted by Delumen | January 16, 2012, 10:58 pm
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  19. I hear phantom mosquitoes around mosquito season, so this isn’t too surprising. Everything from whispers to train whistles sound like mosquitoes when I’m particularly paranoid about them.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    Posted by JedDGed | January 17, 2012, 6:20 pm
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  20. I get false positives (sounds smarter) on my chest, where the phone usually sits. Its super annoying wasting the time checking the phone for nothing… haha I am getting better at differentiating between an actual alert and my insanity.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    Posted by Nil | January 18, 2012, 4:52 pm
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