How about changing the body… temporarily? Body image in virtual reality
Systems in the brain that are responsible for visual perception have been widely studied. These systems give us the possibility to create a representation of the surrounding world by processing the stimuli to which we are exposed in order to adapt and respond to the environment adequately. Visual cues of our own bodies contribute to our so-called body-image. People tend to perceive this body-image as a fixed or stable structure. However, scientific work in the field of virtual reality points to a different direction.
When perceiving our bodies in a virtual space, new questions arise regarding the influence that this virtual space has on our experience of ourselves and the “true” reality that surrounds us. Avatars have been used in research to introduce a new way to conceptualise human embodiment. We can track the origin of the term avatar to Hindi mythology. Avatars present the opportunity to simulate and experiment with our body-image, its’ perception and processing and thus the way we live it, allowing us to venture into experiences that would be impossible to have in reality but that, nevertheless, can widen the repertoire of behavioural alternatives.
Recently, a Spanish and British research group recruited twenty subjects, of which ten experienced a virtual character that reflected the movement of the upper-body in synchronicity with the subject’s movements; then, the avatar displayed pre-recorded actions instead. The other ten subjects went through the same processes but in a reversed order. The results showed that it is possible to experience a body ownership illusion from an avatar under the synchronous movements condition. This study presents evidence of the usefulness that avatars have for helping us experience a congruent perception of our bodies. Manipulation of virtual reality is therefore a promising research line in regarding body image, since virtual reality allows us to go beyond the sensorial integration that we are accustomed to and temporarily replace our body physiognomy with a digital one. The avatar experience may have a positive influence in the presence of body-image disorders and perhaps “changing” our bodies temporarily, i.e. using non-invasive, non-chirurgical methods like avatars, might be a key to changing the mind.
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References
Wozniak, M. (2012) Pictures of me: possibilities of shaping our body image through virtual reality. Limes: Borderland Studies. (5)1, pp1-10.
Gonzalez-Franco, M; et al. (2010) The contribution of real-time mirror reflections of motor actions on virtual body ownership in an immersive virtual environment. Virtual Reality Conference (VR), IEEE. Pp111-114.