A disturbing phenomenon that is affecting people around the world is ringxiety. Sounds familiar? In the next few lines, you will feel a strong déjà vu, like it has happened to you before! Picture this: You are sitting in your workplace and trying to solve a problem that has been getting the better of you for quite some time now. Suddenly, you hear your cell phone ringing and take it out of your pocket to take the call. Quite surprisingly, there is no one on the phone and apparently no missed calls either. This alarming phenomenon is called as Ringxiety (neologism formed from the words ‘ringer’ and ‘anxiety’).
What is it?
The term ringxiety was coined by a doctoral student at the California School of Professional Psychology, David Laramie. This exposition laid emphasis on the effects of cell phones on human behavior. Basically, ringxiety means a hallucination or a false belief that leads to a person hear his/her cell phone ringing, when it is not. This phenomenon is also known by the names of ‘Phantom Ring’ and ‘Fauxcellarm’. This is not really a disease, but more of a psychological tuning or a compulsion in a person that leads him/her to re-check whether the phone is ringing. In fact, many others report that they can feel their mobiles vibrating when they are not!
Expert Opinions
Many researchers have a theory that seems to be the apt explanation for this phenomenon. They explain this occurrence as arising from being in a constant state of readiness or staying alert all the time. Because of the invention of cell phones, one has become accustomed to receiving calls in the car, while jogging, shopping or doing any other work outside homes. This was not the case when there were no cell phones. The brain now remains alert that the mobile may ring anytime, hence even a slight tone resembling the ring of a cell phone triggers off ringxiety. It is, what is known as, an auditory hallucination.
