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Symptoms & Sensitivity112 citations

Mobile phone headache: a double blind, sham-controlled provocation study.

No Effects Found

Oftedal G, Straume A, Johnsson A, Stovner L · 2007

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People claiming mobile phone headaches couldn't distinguish real from fake radiation exposure, suggesting symptoms stem from expectation rather than RF fields.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers tested 17 people who claimed mobile phones caused their headaches by exposing them to real phone radiation and fake radiation without telling them which was which. The participants actually reported slightly more pain during the fake exposures than the real ones, and their heart rate and blood pressure didn't change based on whether they received real or fake radiation. This suggests mobile phone headaches are likely a nocebo effect - where expecting negative effects can actually cause symptoms even without real exposure.

Study Details

The objective was to test whether exposure to radio frequency (RF) fields from mobile phones may cause head pain or discomfort and whether it may influence physiological variables in individuals attributing symptoms to mobile phones, but not to electromagnetic fields in general.

Seventeen eligible individuals, who experienced these symptoms in an open provocation test, took par...

The increase in pain or discomfort (visual analogue scales) in RF sessions was 10.1 and in sham sess...

The study gave no evidence that RF fields from mobile phones may cause head pain or discomfort or influence physiological variables. The most likely reason for the symptoms is a nocebo effect.

Cite This Study
Oftedal G, Straume A, Johnsson A, Stovner L (2007). Mobile phone headache: a double blind, sham-controlled provocation study. Cephalalgia.27(5):447-55, 2007.
Show BibTeX
@article{g_2007_mobile_phone_headache_a_3279,
  author = {Oftedal G and Straume A and Johnsson A and Stovner L},
  title = {Mobile phone headache: a double blind, sham-controlled provocation study.},
  year = {2007},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17359515/},
}
PubMed: 17359515

Cited By (112 papers)

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Quick Questions About This Study

A 2007 double-blind study found no evidence that mobile phone radiation causes headaches. Seventeen people claiming phone sensitivity actually reported slightly more pain during fake exposures (12.6) than real radiation exposures (10.1), suggesting a nocebo effect where expecting symptoms creates them.
Research testing 17 phone-sensitive individuals found no relationship between mobile phone radiation exposure and changes in heart rate or blood pressure. The study compared real phone radiation to fake exposures and detected no physiological differences between the two conditions.
The nocebo effect occurs when expecting negative health effects actually causes symptoms without real exposure. A controlled study found people claiming mobile phone sensitivity reported more headaches during fake radiation sessions than real ones, demonstrating psychological rather than physical causation.
Scientists use double-blind, sham-controlled studies where neither participants nor researchers know when real radiation occurs. The 2007 Oftedal study exposed 17 phone-sensitive people to both real and fake mobile phone radiation to separate psychological from physical effects.
Controlled research suggests self-reported mobile phone sensitivity may not reflect actual radiation effects. When 17 people claiming phone-induced headaches were tested with real versus fake exposures, they couldn't distinguish between them and reported more symptoms during fake sessions.