That Vibration In Your Pants May Be All In Your Head

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If you have a cell phone or BlackBerry attached to your hip, it may have happened to you.

Your walking down the street, or sitting at your desk, or just having a casual conversation when you feel your phone vibrate. You look down and pick up the phone only to realize no one is there. In fact,  no one was calling in the first place.

Welcome to the world of Phantom Vibrations Syndrome (PVS). You may laugh, but it's real - Google it.

Cases of PVS have been popping up around the country as more and more people become attached to their cell phones and PDA's. In addition to vibrations, others report feeling like their cell phone is on them at all times, equating it to Phantom Limb Syndrome felt by amputees. There is even a forum deticated to the topic on one of the most popular health sites on the web.

Though there is very little research being done in the area of PVS, technology experts suggest it has something to do with users feeling that their phone is actually a part of who they are. "As human beings, we're so tapped into our community, responsiveness to what's going on, we're so attuned to the threat of isolation and rejection, we'd rather make a mistake than miss a call," says B.J. Fogg, director of research and design at Stanford University's Persuasive Technology Lab.
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