Are media reports able to cause somatic symptoms attributed to WiFi radiation? An experimental test of the negative expectation hypothesis
- Publikationstyp:
- Zeitschriftenaufsatz
- Metadaten:
-
- Autoren
- Anne-Kathrin Braescher
- Koen Raymaekers
- Omer van den Bergh
- Michael Witthoeft
- Autoren-URL
- https://www.webofscience.com/api/gateway?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=fis-test-1&SrcAuth=WosAPI&KeyUT=WOS:000403735300031&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=WOS_CPL
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.envres.2017.03.040
- eISSN
- 1096-0953
- Externe Identifier
- Clarivate Analytics Document Solution ID: EY1ON
- PubMed Identifier: 28371755
- ISSN
- 0013-9351
- Zeitschrift
- ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
- Schlüsselwörter
- Idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF)
- Nocebo effect
- Medically unexplained symptoms (MUS)
- Media
- Expectation
- Paginierung
- 265 - 271
- Datum der Veröffentlichung
- 2017
- Status
- Published
- Titel
- Are media reports able to cause somatic symptoms attributed to WiFi radiation? An experimental test of the negative expectation hypothesis
- Sub types
- Article
- Ausgabe der Zeitschrift
- 156
Datenquelle: Web of Science (Lite)
- Andere Metadatenquellen:
-
- Autoren
- Anne-Kathrin Bräscher
- Koen Raymaekers
- Omer Van den Bergh
- Michael Witthöft
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.envres.2017.03.040
- ISSN
- 0013-9351
- Zeitschrift
- Environmental Research
- Sprache
- en
- Paginierung
- 265 - 271
- Datum der Veröffentlichung
- 2017
- Status
- Published
- Herausgeber
- Elsevier BV
- Herausgeber URL
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2017.03.040
- Datum der Datenerfassung
- 2018
- Titel
- Are media reports able to cause somatic symptoms attributed to WiFi radiation? An experimental test of the negative expectation hypothesis
- Ausgabe der Zeitschrift
- 156
Datenquelle: Crossref
- Abstract
- People suffering from idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF) experience numerous non-specific symptoms that they attribute to EMF. The cause of this condition remains vague and evidence shows that psychological rather than bioelectromagnetic mechanisms are at work. We hypothesized a role of media reports in the etiology of IEI-EMF and investigated how somatosensory perception is affected. 65 healthy participants were instructed that EMF exposure can lead to enhanced somatosensory perception. Participants were randomly assigned to watch either a television report on adverse health effects of EMF or a neutral report. During the following experiment, participants rated stimulus intensities of tactile (electric) stimuli while being exposed to a sham WiFi signal in 50% of the trials. Sham WiFi exposure led to increased intensity ratings of tactile stimuli in the WiFi film group, especially in participants with higher levels of somatosensory amplification. Participants of the WiFi group reported more anxiety concerning WiFi exposure than the Control group and tended to perceive themselves as being more sensitive to EMF after the experiment compared to before. Sensational media reports can facilitate enhanced perception of tactile stimuli in healthy participants. People tending to perceive bodily symptoms as intense, disturbing, and noxious seem most vulnerable. Receiving sensational media reports might sensitize people to develop a nocebo effect and thereby contribute to the development of IEI-EMF. By promoting catastrophizing thoughts and increasing symptom-focused attention, perception might more readily be enhanced and misattributed to EMF.
- Addresses
- Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Department for Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy, and Experimental Psychopathology, Wallstraße 3, 55122 Mainz, Germany. Electronic address: abraesch@uni-mainz.de.
- Autoren
- Anne-Kathrin Bräscher
- Koen Raymaekers
- Omer Van den Bergh
- Michael Witthöft
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.envres.2017.03.040
- eISSN
- 1096-0953
- Externe Identifier
- PubMed Identifier: 28371755
- Open access
- false
- ISSN
- 0013-9351
- Zeitschrift
- Environmental research
- Schlüsselwörter
- Humans
- Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
- Random Allocation
- Anxiety
- Touch
- Electromagnetic Fields
- Television
- Adolescent
- Adult
- Germany
- Female
- Male
- Young Adult
- Wireless Technology
- Medically Unexplained Symptoms
- Sprache
- eng
- Medium
- Print-Electronic
- Online publication date
- 2017
- Paginierung
- 265 - 271
- Datum der Veröffentlichung
- 2017
- Status
- Published
- Datum der Datenerfassung
- 2017
- Titel
- Are media reports able to cause somatic symptoms attributed to WiFi radiation? An experimental test of the negative expectation hypothesis.
- Sub types
- Journal Article
- Ausgabe der Zeitschrift
- 156
Datenquelle: Europe PubMed Central
- Abstract
- People suffering from idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF) experience numerous non-specific symptoms that they attribute to EMF. The cause of this condition remains vague and evidence shows that psychological rather than bioelectromagnetic mechanisms are at work. We hypothesized a role of media reports in the etiology of IEI-EMF and investigated how somatosensory perception is affected. 65 healthy participants were instructed that EMF exposure can lead to enhanced somatosensory perception. Participants were randomly assigned to watch either a television report on adverse health effects of EMF or a neutral report. During the following experiment, participants rated stimulus intensities of tactile (electric) stimuli while being exposed to a sham WiFi signal in 50% of the trials. Sham WiFi exposure led to increased intensity ratings of tactile stimuli in the WiFi film group, especially in participants with higher levels of somatosensory amplification. Participants of the WiFi group reported more anxiety concerning WiFi exposure than the Control group and tended to perceive themselves as being more sensitive to EMF after the experiment compared to before. Sensational media reports can facilitate enhanced perception of tactile stimuli in healthy participants. People tending to perceive bodily symptoms as intense, disturbing, and noxious seem most vulnerable. Receiving sensational media reports might sensitize people to develop a nocebo effect and thereby contribute to the development of IEI-EMF. By promoting catastrophizing thoughts and increasing symptom-focused attention, perception might more readily be enhanced and misattributed to EMF.
- Date of acceptance
- 2017
- Autoren
- Anne-Kathrin Bräscher
- Koen Raymaekers
- Omer Van den Bergh
- Michael Witthöft
- Autoren-URL
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28371755
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.envres.2017.03.040
- eISSN
- 1096-0953
- Zeitschrift
- Environ Res
- Schlüsselwörter
- Expectation
- Idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF)
- Media
- Medically unexplained symptoms (MUS)
- Nocebo effect
- Adolescent
- Adult
- Anxiety
- Electromagnetic Fields
- Female
- Germany
- Humans
- Male
- Medically Unexplained Symptoms
- Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
- Random Allocation
- Television
- Touch
- Wireless Technology
- Young Adult
- Sprache
- eng
- Country
- Netherlands
- Paginierung
- 265 - 271
- PII
- S0013-9351(17)30080-4
- Datum der Veröffentlichung
- 2017
- Status
- Published
- Datum, an dem der Datensatz öffentlich gemacht wurde
- 2017
- Titel
- Are media reports able to cause somatic symptoms attributed to WiFi radiation? An experimental test of the negative expectation hypothesis.
- Sub types
- Journal Article
- Ausgabe der Zeitschrift
- 156
Datenquelle: PubMed
- Beziehungen:
- Eigentum von