Modern health scares have created a nocebo phenomenon – where people experience symptoms because they wrongly think something is damaging, researchers claim.
A scientific study in London, UK, has shown how watching a television programme about the alleged threat from electro-magnetic fields can trigger symptoms.
Researchers say a nocebo is the opposite of a placebo. While a placebo makes a patient feel better, even when it has no impact, a nocebo makes them feel ill.
The latest study showed that people exposed to fake Wi-Fi signals developed symptoms such as agitation, anxiety and loss of concentration or tingling in fingers, arms and legs.
Researchers found this happened to 54% of people who had just been shown a BBC documentary setting out alleged health hazards linked to mobile phones and Wi-FI. Two volunteers quit the project because their symptoms were so severe.
Dr Michael Witthöft, of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany, compared these volunteers with another group shown a documentary which merely discussed data security on the internet and mobile phones.
Dr Witthöft said the findings showed how some health scares became "self-fulfilling".
He said: "Science and the media need to work together more closely and make sure that reports of possible health hazards from new technologies are as accurate as possible and are presented to the public using the best available scientific data."
He added: "The mere anticipation of possible injury may actually trigger pain or disorders. This is the opposite of the analgesic effects we know can be associated with exposure to placebos."
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