What is the Phantom Vibration Syndrome and How Does It Work?

Have you ever imagined your phone is vibrating in your pocket, only to pull it out and find you imagined it? You’re not alone: it turns out ‘phantom vibration syndrome’ is a common phenomenon. A study of doctors at a hospital in Massachusetts found that 70 per cent of doctors reported experiencing such ‘ghost calls’, while a US study of college students found up to 90 per cent were familiar with the phenomenon.

But fear not – psychologists say this is not a sign of madness, but rather that we are so alert for phone calls and messages that we misinterpret slight muscle spasms as proof of a call. We are so anxious not to miss a call that our brains overcompensate by biasing us towards false alarms.