Are media reports able to cause somatic symptoms attributed to WiFi radiation? An experimental test of the negative expectation hypothesis

On the origin of worries about modern health hazards: Experimental evidence for a conjoint influence of media reports and personality traits

“…It is possible that people high on absorption became more immersed in the film and consequently more easily identified with the IEI patient in Study 1. The main finding of Study 2 that EMF related worries are particularly sensitive to sensational media reports could recently be confirmed in two independent studies conducted in the UK (Witthöft & Rubin, 2013) and Germany (Bräscher, Raymaekers, Van den Bergh, & Witthöft, 2017). In these laboratory studies, it could also be demonstrated that EMF related worries significantly predicted the occurrence and intensity of somatic sensations in response to an EMF sham exposure, suggesting that MHW are able to foster a nocebo effect.…”

Media Reports of Unintentional Opioid Exposure of Public Safety First Responders in North America

“…In fact, media reports about adverse effects of other environmental stimuli may actually increase the likelihood of other emergency responders experiencing symptoms in the future. Study subjects exposed to news stories about health effects of Wi-Fi exposure experienced tactile symptoms even when exposed to sham Wi-Fi signals [17,18]. The authors hypothesized that sensationalized reports sensitized people to develop a nocebo effect-symptoms of illness caused by negative expectations following an exposure.…”

Becoming electro‐hypersensitive: A replication study

“…The observations presented in this paper, as well as those from previous research on the genesis of EHS attributions, indicate that the effects of these media reports are significantly weaker than have been anticipated: they fail to motivate individuals into elaborating, through the learning process described above, a system of expectations specific enough to be used in practice in daily life. In other words, media reports do not suffice to get people unswervingly committed to EHS and to produce lasting effects—contrary to what several experimental studies have claimed without support from any long‐term monitoring of their subjects [Szemerszky et al, ; Witthöft and Rubin, ; Bräscher et al, ].…”