darkdantedevil:

While I don't dismiss the idea that some humans might have some SLIGHT difference in their perceptual abilities; I find "electrosensitivity" as a (self) diagnosis to be poppy-cock.

Skeptoid has a good summary of what the science says about this: http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4072

Namely: The symptoms seem to emerge when subjects THINK they are in the presence of wifi waves /cell phones, etc. and very little to do with the ACTUAL presence of the those things

While interesting, this tidbit:

    She was presenting her case, and about ten minutes later she came up to me and says, ‘Arnie, someone has a cell phone on in here.'

The woman "finding" a cell phone doesn't prove jack. How many time must people who moved to this area have had episodes, where there was NO cell phone, or wifi, or whatever? This is selection bias, and anecdotal evidence does not convince me of a trend.

More importantly, I am curious as to why these people think that their symptoms started so suddenly (the ones mentioned in the article certainly sound like it). Wifi has been around for years. Cells phones, longer. And what about actual radio? Those broadcasts have been around for ages. Why the sudden onset of symptoms?

However, I do understand how psychosomatic conditions work, and I feel bad that these people are suffering.

The sheer level of delusion in some, however, leaves me amazed:

    Monique is pretty convinced that her version of the science will prevail and that future generations will see the folly of iPhones and laptops just like past ones did asbestos and cigarettes.

Of course monique is convinced she is right. People don't walk around thinking they are wrong. EVEN IF it was PROVEN this condition was real (doubtful to me), the vast majority of the population does NOT suffer from this, and things like laptops and cells phones have completely changed how we live our lives. They are (even if we accept Monique's disease as "real") humongously useful, and irreplaceable. Cigarettes are purely recreational and a poor comparison, and asbestos, while it is/was useful, is harmful to everyone exposed in a specific way (though its danger is a bit exaggerated, admittedly). Neither even comes remotely close to how essential technology is to modern culture, and suggesting it would be viewed in a similar light as a cigarette is laughable.


posted 3394 days ago