While taking a test in his United States history class, junior Reed Cawley said he felt a faint buzzing sensation in his left pocket. According to Cawley, he usually has his cell phone off during class and was confused when he thought he felt a text during a test. Cawley said he remembers checking his phone after class, but to his surprise, he realized he had not received any notifications and his phone was in fact turned off.

According to Larry Rosen, Professor of Psychology at California State University, the sensation Cawley felt was not abnormal. Rosen said Cawley’s experience is considered a phantom vibration.

“[Phantom vibrations] are where you feel a tingling in the neurons in an area where you typically carry your smartphone, such as your pocket or purse, and grab your phone only to discover that you did not get an alert,” said Rosen. “…The tingling you felt was the natural process of neurons firing.”

According to Rosen, phantom vibrations show “an obsession or compulsion to check in with our technology.” The advancement in the different kinds of technology has caused people to spend more time on their phones.

“No longer do we simply need to check our email and our phone calls, but now we have to check text messages, Whatsapp messages, Instagram alerts, Facebook posts and on and on,” Rosen said.

Cawley said he is “pretty reliant on his phone” and likes to use his phone to “check up on social media and answer texts.” Cawley said he believes he gets phantom vibrations because of muscle memory and instinct.

“I always keep [my phone] in my left pocket and whenever I get a text, it’s always in the same place,” said Cawley. “It’s like when you wear glasses. When you wear them for two months but take them off, you still feel them on your face.”

According to Cawley, phantom vibrations do not hinder his ability to live his everyday life.

“I think we also have a lot of tolerance for the downsides of technology, as very few people are bothered by these phantom vibrations,” Michelle Druin, Associate Professor of Psychology at Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne, said.

When Cawley gets a phantom vibration, he said it does not irritate him because he is accustomed to checking his phone anyway.

Rosen said there may be a negative health correlation between phantom vibrations and anxiety.

“We are finding in our work, that those who use their smartphones more are feeling more stressed and showing more anxiety, particularly if we don’t let them access their phones,” said Rosen. “[Phantom vibrations] are a reaction to anxiety.”

Although Cawley said he feels phantom vibrations once every two days, he still sees the benefits of technology.

“Education wise, [technology] is helpful,” said Cawley. “If I have a question and I need to look something up, I can just look it up on my phone and get the answer right away. …Even though it can sometimes be a distraction, it’s a really helpful tool.”