Why do bulbs seem to burn out whenever I’m nearby?

Start with the fixture and bulb combination. Heat trapped in enclosed fixtures can shorten the life of some bulbs, and LEDs may fail early if they are not rated for that use or do not work well with a dimmer. Loose connections or vibration can also cause trouble.

For a few weeks, note the bulb type, fixture, location, whether it flickered, and roughly how long it lasted. If failures cluster around one fixture, stop using it until an electrician checks it. If they happen across several locations, the record may help reveal a common factor.

If it really is happening several times a week, I’d treat that as worth checking, but not as proof that a person is causing it. Try a quality bulb with the right wattage and fixture rating, and avoid moving a bulb between very different fixtures while you’re tracking results.

When bulbs fail, note whether other lights flicker or appliances behave oddly at the same time. Repeated flickering, a burning smell, buzzing, or warm switches are reasons to stop using the affected circuit and call an electrician.

Our brains are good at noticing a bulb failing while someone is in the room, and less good at counting all the times nothing happens. A simple log can help: record every bulb that fails and also how many are working normally, including the places where you spend time.

A handheld field reading by itself would not establish why a bulb failed. The useful checks are the bulb, fixture, switching or dimmer setup, and the building’s electrical supply. If the failures are unusually frequent, an electrician can inspect those directly.