Mind & PerceptionDigital Psychology

Phantom Vibrations

Most phone users have felt a buzz that never happened

You felt your phone buzz. You checked: nothing. So if the phone never buzzed, what exactly did you feel?

You'll find out

  • How many people feel phantom buzzes
  • What your brain mistakes for a buzz
  • Why your brain would rather be fooled

Why it matters

Your brain guesses what's real all day. Phantom buzzes show how it bets, and why smoke alarms bet the same way.

About 3 min6 interactive slides · 5 questionsLesson 46 · Zone 6

Play this lesson

Free to play in your browser or on iPhone

More in this zone

  1. 47AstronomyWhy We Only See One Side of the MoonThe Moon spins exactly once per orbit
  2. 48CombinatoricsThe Pigeonhole TrickToo many pigeons for the holes guarantees a hidden match
  3. 49Online PrivacyIncognito Isn't InvisiblePrivate mode hides your history from your phone, not from the internet
  4. 50Online SafetyThe QR Sticker ScamA fake code taped over the parking meter sends your card to a thief
  5. 51Cryptographic HashingChange One Letter, Change EverythingA hash is a fingerprint that flips totally at the smallest change
  6. 52BinaryEverything Is BinarySongs, photos and this sentence are all just ons and offs
  7. 53Atomic PhysicsAtoms Are Mostly EmptyIf an atom were a stadium, the nucleus would be a marble
  8. 54Thermal EngineeringYour Fridge Doesn't Make ColdIt pumps heat out of the box and dumps it into your kitchen