DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.29042329
title: Impact of expectancy on fatigue by exposure to the fifth generation of mobile communication signals

description: There is a long-standing debate about the relationship between Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Field (RF-EMF) exposure and fatigue. Past studies primarily rely on self-report scales to assess fatigue, but these methods are often susceptible to personal biases. Notably, the role of psychological factors in the fatigue response induce by RF-EMF exposure remains unclear. Therefore, our study focuses on exploring the impact of 5 G signal exposure on human fatigue, particularly considering the influence of expectancy induced by psychological priming on the outcomes. In this study, we recruited 21 healthy subjects who were tested in three sessions. Each session included two 30-min exposures to either real or sham 5 G signals, with the order randomized. The experiment was conducted under varying informational conditions: subjects were provided with correct, false, or no information about the order of exposure. Additionally, subjects completed a fatigue scoring questionnaire and underwent Electroencephalogram (EEG) measurements during the experiment. The statistical comparison indicates that 5 G RF-EMF exposure at routine levels does not lead to changes in EEG power. The finding reveals that the report of fatigue can be altered by the conveyed information of being exposed by 5 G signals although there is no real exposure and no detectable electrophysiological indicator. Our findings suggest that it is necessary to prevent psychological priming in any kind or to take its possible consequence into consideration, to reveal this effect of RF-EMF exposure. This study looked into whether exposure to 5 G signals causes fatigue. Previous research typically gathered data on how tired people felt through questionnaire, but responses could be biased by personal expectations. Our study aimed to get a clearer understanding of the potential effects of 5 G signal exposure on fatigue by not only asking people about their tiredness but also by measuring brain electrical activity. We enrolled 21 healthy volunteers for a study involving three experimental sessions, each involving two 30-min exposures to 5 G signals. The actual sequence of real or sham signals was randomized, with subjects uninformed of the order. To understand how information affects perceived tiredness, we varied the information given: ’Correct Information’ provided accurate details about real or sham exposure; ’False Information’ gave misleading information, opposite to the actual exposure; ’No Information’ meant no exposure details were provided. After the exposure, subjects completed a questionnaire to report their levels of tiredness, while their brain electrical activity was continuously monitored throughout the exposure. Our findings showed that being exposed to normal levels of 5 G signals did not change their brain activity. Interestingly, we found that what we told subjects about the 5 G exposure could make them think they were more or less tired, regardless of whether the signal was real. This suggests that the feeling of tiredness after being exposed to 5 G signals might be more about what people think or expect than about the actual signals themselves. Our findings emphasized the role of psychological factors in experimental design.