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Symptoms & Sensitivity

Nocebo as headache trigger: evidence from a sham-controlled provocation study with RF fields.

No Effects Found

Stovner LJ, Oftedal G, Straume A, Johnsson A · 2008

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People experienced identical 'mobile phone headaches' during both real and fake RF exposures, indicating psychological rather than electromagnetic causes.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Norwegian researchers studied 17 people who reported getting headaches from mobile phone use, exposing them to both real radiofrequency (RF) signals and fake exposures in a controlled setting. Participants experienced the same types of headaches whether they were exposed to actual RF fields or just thought they were, suggesting their 'mobile phone headaches' were caused by negative expectations (called the nocebo effect) rather than the electromagnetic fields themselves.

Study Details

To investigate the type and location of headache experienced by participants in one provocation study in order to gain insight into possible causes and mechanisms of the headaches.

Questionnaire about headache, indication on figure of location of headache after exposure, interview...

The 17 participants went through 130 trials (sham or RF exposure). No significant difference existed...

This and other similar studies indicate that headache occurring in connection with mobile phone use is not related to RF fields, and that a nocebo effect is important for this and possibly other headache triggers.

Cite This Study
Stovner LJ, Oftedal G, Straume A, Johnsson A (2008). Nocebo as headache trigger: evidence from a sham-controlled provocation study with RF fields. Acta Neurol Scand Suppl. 188:67-71, 2008.
Show BibTeX
@article{lj_2008_nocebo_as_headache_trigger_3424,
  author = {Stovner LJ and Oftedal G and Straume A and Johnsson A},
  title = {Nocebo as headache trigger: evidence from a sham-controlled provocation study with RF fields.},
  year = {2008},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18439225/},
}
PubMed: 18439225

Cited By (46 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

Yes, according to a 2008 Norwegian study of 17 self-reported mobile phone headache sufferers. Participants experienced identical headaches whether exposed to real radiofrequency fields or fake exposures, suggesting their symptoms were caused by negative expectations (nocebo effect) rather than electromagnetic radiation itself.
Research demonstrates that negative expectations can trigger genuine headaches. A controlled study found people who believed mobile phones caused their headaches experienced the same symptoms during both real RF exposure and sham exposure, indicating the nocebo effect was responsible for their pain.
Most self-reported mobile phone headaches are actually tension-type headaches, according to research involving 130 exposure trials. The study found no difference in headache type, location, or side between real RF exposure and fake exposure, suggesting psychological rather than electromagnetic causes.
Zero trials out of 130 showed RF fields caused headaches. Norwegian researchers exposed 17 participants claiming mobile phone sensitivity to both real and fake radiofrequency signals. Participants experienced identical headache patterns regardless of actual electromagnetic exposure, proving expectations drove their symptoms.
Psychology appears to be the primary cause. A 2008 sham-controlled study found that people experienced their typical mobile phone headaches equally during real RF exposure and fake exposure, indicating negative expectations (nocebo effect) rather than electromagnetic fields triggered their symptoms.