The phantom syndrome

Abstract

Communication technology evolved extensively in recent years and the introduction of the featured smartphones considered as the critical milestone in the mobile phone history. Unlike traditional phones, smartphones have the number of applications which keep the users engage to a greater extent of time like never before. Such unbroken psychological association of the individuals with their smartphones has led to an emergence of a new kind of psychological problem called as the phantom syndrome characterized by the frequent false feeling of ringing and vibration from the smartphones. Although the phenomenon of the phantom is widespread, only a limited number of studies are available on it. Furthermore, most of the studies available are to exploratory nature with lack of standard study designs. Keeping all such aspect into the consideration, the present review endeavors to extend the current scientific knowledge on phantom syndrome by providing a thorough understanding and new ideas for future research.