Do you happen to hear your cell phone ringing or vibrating while you use the hairdryer, without there being a call or notification? This phenomenon is a common auditory illusion: our brain, accustomed to recognizing important signals, misinterprets the noise of the hairdryer as familiar sounds. Find out how these false perceptions work and what makes them so common.
Have you ever used the hairdryer and suddenly thought you heard your cell phone or the doorbell ring? This phenomenon, common to many, may seem strange, but it has a scientific basis. It’s not about imagination, but how the brain interprets background sounds in certain situations.
The auditory illusion: when the brain “creates” sounds
This phenomenon falls under what is called auditory illusiona situation in which the brain misidentifies a familiar sound within white or continuous noise. The noise of the hairdryer is a perfect example of monotonous and constant noise that can cause the brain to “fill” empty auditory spaces with sounds it recognizes, such as the ringing of the telephone or the doorbell.
How selective attention works
Our brain is wired to recognize sounds that might have immediate meaning or be potentially important, such as someone calling us or an alarm signal. This is called selective attention: The brain gives priority to sounds that it considers relevant, even if they are not actually present. So, while the hairdryer creates a constant background, the brain can interpret some variations in the sound such as a cell phone ringing or the doorbell.
The subjectivity of illusion
The auditory illusion can vary from person to person and depends a lot on our habits and the sounds we listen to most frequently. For those who live in noisy environments, the brain is used to filtering information, while in quieter contexts it can be more difficult. When we use the hairdryer, the combination of attention towards the mobile phone and background noise favors this false perception.
Studies on the topic
Although there are no specific studies on this hairdryer-related phenomenon, research on auditory illusions and sound perception has shown how our brain is predisposed to look for familiar patterns and sounds. Some studies suggest that the auditory illusion is an adaptive phenomenon, that is, a mechanism that helps the brain recognize important signals even in conditions of background noise.
So, next time you think you hear your cell phone or doorbell while using your hairdryer, know that it’s just your brain doing its job: interpreting the world around you, even when the sounds aren’t actually there. This phenomenon, on the border between science and curiosity, reminds us how powerful our brain is and, at the same time, sensitive to the small details of our daily lives.
The “phantom vibration”: when the brain also feels what isn’t there
A similar phenomenon is that of the so-called phantom vibrationwhich concerns the sensation of perceiving the phone vibrating in the absence of notifications. This effect, common to those who are used to always carrying their mobile phone with them, is a response of the brain which has adapted to recognize even small stimuli linked to the use of the telephone. Just as in the case of the imaginary sound when using the hairdryer, the brain can “feel” the vibration of the phone as a reflection of our habit and expectation of receiving messages. Studies on phantom vibrations confirm how our nervous system is conditioned by the constant use of devices, to the point of sensing non-existent stimuli.
