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On the show Better Call Saul, when someone enters Chuck's house, he asks

Ground yourself?

By which he means to leave watches, mobile phones et cetera outside of the house.

Also, he doesn't have anything electrical in his house.

Why is that?

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  • Chuck either has electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) or radio wave sickness (RWS). /r/electromagnetics subreddit of reddit explains the difference and how to use meters to measure EMF and compare with government safety standards.
    – user23380
    Jul 27, 2015 at 14:58

3 Answers 3

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I found out that this is called Electromagnetic hypersensitivity. To put it simple, people are affected by electromagnetic fields. They show many symptoms, like pain and ache, headaches etc.

Per wikipedia:

Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) is a group of symptoms purportedly caused by exposure to electromagnetic fields [...]

The reported symptoms of EHS include headache, fatigue, stress, sleep disturbances, skin symptoms like prickling, burning sensations and rashes, pain and ache in muscles and many other health problems. Whatever their cause, EHS symptoms are a real and sometimes disabling problem for the affected person. However, there is no scientific basis to link EHS symptoms to electromagnetic field exposure.

Also, on the first link I posted above, it is mentioned that all of these could just be on Chuck's head.

Αlso, this condition was mentioned on S01E05, where Jimmy oversimplified it by calling it 'allergy to electricity'.

Like @System pointed out in the comments, this isn't accepted as a diagnosis. The doctor at the show, seems to believe that this is a mental situation as well.

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    It should be noted that Electromagnetic hypersensitivity is not yet accepted as a diagnosis. Which is why everyone seem to think that Chuck is crazy, except for Chuck himself of course.
    – System Down
    Feb 20, 2015 at 22:41
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    The key word there is purportedly. In the context of the show, it's likely to show that Chuck is a little mentally unbalanced--not that he literally has electromagnetic hypersensitivity.
    – DA.
    Feb 21, 2015 at 5:52
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    It worth adding to answer that in the episode where Chuck is laying on a hospital bed and doctor purposely turns on electricity without Chuck noticing, Chuck clearly didn't mention it, so it's surely a mental disorder.
    – PaulD
    Apr 21, 2016 at 12:49
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To be more specific than the existing answers: Chuck has this metal knob on his porch that people are supposed to touch before entering, to get rid of any static electricity they might be carrying. This is what he means with "grounding themselves".

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  • Welcome to Movies and TV, maybe you con consider editing one of the other answer to add your elements.
    – M.Polo
    Aug 31, 2020 at 13:37
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    @M.Polo: This answer is the first answer that addresses the concrete question rather than the surrounding backstory. It shouldn't be edited into other answers, it's a complete answer on its own (that is also not a duplicate of an existing one)
    – Flater
    Aug 31, 2020 at 21:08
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It's been said in the episodes before. He's afraid of electromagnetic radiation. He has electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS).

Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) is a group of symptoms purportedly caused by exposure to electromagnetic fields.

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