Scientists from Hiroshima University conducted an experiment using virtual reality (VR) to study how pain and fear affect the sense of ownership of one’s own body. The results, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, showed that negative physical and emotional states weaken the brain’s ability to identify with a virtual avatar.
In the study, 45 participants were immersed in a VR environment where they viewed a virtual body from behind through a headset. Bottom-up factors were used to create the illusion of ownership: synchronous tactile stimuli (stroking the back in reality and the virtual world). Then, the scientists added top-down factors: participants were asked to imagine that their virtual body was experiencing abdominal pain, and later were shown a threat in the form of a knife “attacking” the avatar’s back.
The results:
- Participants who identified the virtual body as their own in a state of pain demonstrated a 30-40% decrease in the sense of ownership;
- Fear (measured through electrodermal activity in the skin) correlated with a weakening of the FBI illusion;
- People with a history of high depersonalization were less susceptible to the illusion even under baseline conditions.
This research not only deepens our understanding of the neurobiological basis of self-perception, but also offers innovative approaches to treating mental disorders.
