Ringxiety
Definition
Ringxiety, phantom vibration syndrome, or phantom ringtones is a term used to describe the feeling of a phone call in one's pocket, even though one is not being called upon.[1]
Peter Tse, professor of psychological and brain sciences at Dartmouth College, said phantom vibration rings may happen because cell phone users develop a “template” in their heads.
“I have a template for my baby’s cry in my head, for example, and sometimes just by chance a random set of sounds will match it,” he said. “I will go to check, but the baby wasn’t crying. “
He said the brain is constantly filtering out background information. Tse said sometimes when a person is monitoring or searching for something important to them — such as a cell phone call or the sound of their own name — some of this background information is picked up and matched to a mental template.
It’s called the cocktail party effect.
“When everyone’s talking at a cocktail party, if your name or anything close to your name comes up in the room, you easily pick up on that,” Tse said.
But false vibrations are less easily understood. Some neurologists compare it to the nerve sensations felt by amputees in the place of the missing limb.
