Are Some People Really Causing Electronics To Malfunction?

According to researcher and author Rachel Cunningham, there may be more to those weird tech failures you experience than just bad luck.

Her newly published 30-page book, 'Human Electromagnetic Interference: A Researcher's Introduction To The SLIDER Effect', explores the little-known phenomenon known as the SLIDER effect - and it might explain why streetlights flicker when you walk by or why your mobile seems to crash more than anyone else's.

The term SLIDER originally came from "Street Light Interference" - people who noticed lamps would flicker or turn off as they passed beneath them. But the label has since broadened to cover all sorts of strange disruptions to electronic equipment. SLIDERs, as they're sometimes called, report everything from watches breaking and laptops malfunctioning to contactless cards deactivating and triggering alarms in shops - sometimes just by walking past.

Rachel has collected accounts from people who believe they've lived with this ability for years. Some say they regularly blow lightbulbs, drain batteries unusually quickly, or even crash devices just by being near them. One person recalled how, during a group call with two other SLIDERs, a power pole transformer outside their house exploded.

While this all sounds a bit far-fetched, Rachel grounds her writing in concepts that science already accepts. The human body emits measurable electromagnetic radiation - something even infrared thermometers rely on. And energy transfer between the body and electronics isn't unheard of either. Static shocks are a simple example of how humans can discharge electrical energy into objects.

Rachel also draws comparisons with practices in Eastern medicine like acupuncture and Reiki, which are based on the idea of imbalances in the body's energy field. She points out that many SLIDERs find their interference gets worse with stress or strong emotion - something that also aligns with these traditions.

In her book, she shares results from an informal study of people who identify as SLIDERs, where nearly all participants said their interference became worse during emotional highs - especially anger and stress. The book also explores possible links between the SLIDER effect and neurodivergent traits or connective tissue disorders, with early results showing a potentially higher prevalence of both among SLIDERs.

Rachel doesn't claim to have all the answers. But she hopes her work will provide people with a starting point - a way to recognise shared experiences and open up conversations about a topic that many feel is dismissed too easily.

Whether you're sceptical or curious - or convinced you've been breaking tech with your vibes for years - 'Human Electromagnetic Interference: A Researcher's Introduction To The SLIDER Effect' is available now from Amazon in paperback or as an eBook for Kindle.