It seems I’ve heard about this phenomenon quite a bit lately: “Ringxiety.” Others call it “Fauxcellarm.” (Oh, those clever wordsmiths, dumping common words into a big bowl and pulling out combinations that heretofore didn’t exist.)
The bottom line is, ringxiety is a convincing — but utterly false — perception that your cell phone is ringing (or vibrating) when it isn’t. Some experts say that this occurrence is evidence that cell phones have become such an integral part of our lives that we are always (consciously or subconsciously) waiting for the next ring, the next vibration, the next phone call. As we wait, our mind might play tricks on us, persuading us that our distinctive ring is calling to us from the other room when, in fact, the phone is sitting silently (lonely?) on the kitchen counter. Our ringtones are woven into the very fabric of our brains.
Confession: I have never experienced ringxiety.
I’m guessing that’s because I am most definitely not a phone person. I often turn our phone ringer off, I feel perfectly comfortable letting the answering machine pick up if I’m in the middle of a good book making dinner, and I — gasp! — don’t give out my cell phone number. Oh sure, my husband has it programmed into his phone, and C.’s school has it on file in case of emergency, but in general, I don’t share it. I use my cell phone in emergencies or to occasionally call home when I’m out, but I don’t carry it around so that other people can contact me at all hours of the day.
Poor L…. I am so rarely on the phone that he doesn’t even know what to do with his play telephones. Apparently, he’s seen me on the phone once or twice, so he knows that I hold it up somewhere in the vicinity of my head, but that’s as far as his knowledge extends. Whenever he picks up his play phone, he immediately sticks it on his forehead. Either he has limited exposure to phone usage, or he’s using one of those nifty new telepathic phones that communicate directly with the brain, completely bypassing the ear canal.
Despite the fact that I’m depriving my one-year-old of complete knowledge of phone usage, I’m perfectly okay with my disconnectedness in the area of the telephone. Studies suggest that cell phone usage increases feelings of stress, and I’m quite good at manufacturing enough stress all by myself, thank you very much.
For example, while I’ve never experienced ringxiety, I have experienced something that I will creatively call baby-cryingxiety. When my boys were infants, I would be convinced I could hear them crying upstairs in their cribs, only to peek in to find that they were sleeping peacefully. I’d return to the kitchen or living room, and moments later “hear” them crying again. It was all a cruel trick of the mind, intended to keep me from ever truly relaxing.
So maybe I don’t let the telephone cause me stress, but I have been known to let babies cause me stress. Good thing they grow up and sleep through the night. My baby-cryingxiety is inversely proportional to the age of my children.
What about you? Are you plagued by ringxiety? Baby-cryingxiety? Other -xiety’s?
LOL! L. is the cutest! I can just see him putting the phone to his forehead.
My cell phone is for emergencies only kind of thing too. But boy I can see how my oldest daughter’s generation is so hooked into their phones they’d be in withdrawl if they had it taken away.
I can’t believe these young kids that have cellphones. I am in my 20′s and I still don’t have one, but everyone I know does. It’s crazy. The thing I used to hear even when it wasn’t happening was my mother yelling my name. She is the sort of person that wants you to go to her than the other way around, so she used to say my name so much I would start thinking I heard it, it was bad.
I’m plagued by meowxiety, when I think I hear my cat Pumpkin meowing because she’s gotten herself shut up in a closet somewhere. Although, now that I have a nephew, I *have* experienced the phantom crying thing a couple of times. Maybe I’d have a worse case of it if he slept over more than once a week.
No ringxiety here…we’re a cell phone strictly for emergencies family. So much so that we do the prepaid phone thing.
But baby-cryingxiety? Oh yes! Mine is related to age, but also to movie watching. The alarms are much more likely to go off at the most engaging moments of a DVD.
Love the graph!
sorry just posted book comment here – what I wanted to say is – yes i get ringxiety I also get have I turned the gas oven offxiety and have been known to drive home again to check!
This post cracked me up! I’ve experienced both ringxiety and baby-cryingxiety! I’ve never heard them described (or named) before though!
Unfortunately I do experience ring-xiety all the time – I am very reachable by cell phone through work, friends and family. And I hate it when I do think that I hear it and it is not ringing!
But I have other anxieties too – so you’re not alone!
Well, I’ve never heard of that. I too, do not really talk on the phone much.
Interesting topic though.
Hee hee. That’s cute. Sadly, the Baby knows EXACTLY how to use a phone, though.
I don’t even HAVE a cell phone! I’m feeling so left out.
I have telephobia. See the sound of a phone ringing acts like a pacemaker..it immediately jump-starts my mouth to foulness. I hate it when the phone rings during dinner & DH HAS to answer it. Or when we have family time going somewhere & his cell rings & he HAS to answer it. I swear he’d answer the phone during sex. Luckily God has prevented it from ringing then! LOL
I absolutely hate phones, so much that most of them are on silence. My ringxiety comes from having the “time-stealer” ring!
I think cryingxiety is also inversely proportional to the number of children you have. = ) With my firstborn I heard every peep. Now with my 3rd she’s lucky if I respond within the first 3 minutes. = )
This graph cracks me up. I’m glad that you are so talented and have so much time on your hands. If I need a line graph, I’ll be sure to call on you.
I like what VeggieMom said–I often don’t like to hear the phone ring. I do like talking on the phone, but I like to make the calls, LOL.
It irritates Terry to no end when he tries to call my cell phone and I don’t answer it. I think that I have ringdeafness.
LOL! I don’t get ringxiety – I’m usually the one blissfully unaware that it’s MY phone ringing! I do have a bad case of the baby-cryingxiety, though. The worst is when I think I hear her crying and then…um, realize that she’s on my lap! It sort of makes me worried for my mental state, actually!
This is hilarious, as usual. I can just picture L. not knowing what to do with a phone! Wait till the girls start calling!
I’m like you about the phone. I’d shut it off if I could. I hate having to carry a cell phone for work. I have no qualms about letting callers go to voice mail. Hmm, is this in part because I hook-up to a phone for hours each day with a headset?
If anything, I probably have email-ziety! Constantly checking my email. You know it’s bad when you find yourself reading the spam (just kidding!)
Not much of a phone girl here either, but your graph spoke volumes! As all my children are now 7+ years of age, my cryingxiety has dramatically reduced! Yes and amen!
Loved this post!
I’ve never experienced ringxiety, but I have experienced baby-cryingxiety.
My cell is my main phone #, but I have caller id on it and only answer it if I’m in the mood to talk; otherwise, I let my voicemail pick it up. lol
Oh, L. is too cute!