Researchers at Hiroshima University conducted a virtual reality experiment revealing that fear, pain, and prior experiences can disrupt the sense of body ownership. Participants viewed a virtual body through VR goggles and received touch on their back, with interpretations of the virtual body influencing outcomes: identifying it as “my body” maintained the illusion, while viewing it as “my body with abdominal pain” inhibited it.
The study, published in Frontiers in Psychology in December 2024, highlights how top-down factors like expectations and prior knowledge affect body ownership perception, offering insights into conditions such as depersonalization-derealization disorder.
VR Study Examines How Pain and Fear Affect Body Ownership
A recent study conducted by researchers at Hiroshima University utilized virtual reality (VR) to investigate how pain and fear influence body ownership. The experiment revealed that these factors can disrupt the sense of body ownership, a phenomenon known as “Disruption of Body Ownership.”
Participants in the study were immersed in a VR environment, viewing a virtual body through goggles. Simultaneously, they received tactile stimulation on their back, enhancing the illusion of owning the virtual body. To introduce fear, participants experienced a simulated knife attack, which significantly impacted their perception.
The research highlighted the role of top-down factors, such as expectations and prior experiences, in shaping the illusion of body ownership. The full-body illusion was notably inhibited when participants imagined the virtual body experiencing pain or encountered a fear stimulus.
Findings indicated that individuals with higher depersonalization tendencies exhibited weaker illusions, suggesting a link between mental states and body ownership perception. The study proposed that this inhibition could stem from difficulties in processing negative symptoms or reconciling discrepancies between actual and virtual experiences.
The findings have implications for understanding and addressing disorders characterized by disturbed body ownership, such as depersonalization-derealization disorder. By identifying mechanisms underlying “Disruption of Body Ownership,” researchers aim to develop targeted interventions to enhance body ownership and improve quality of life for affected individuals.
Measuring Fear Response in VR
The study also measured fear response through skin-conductance in participants experiencing a simulated knife attack within the VR environment. This approach allowed researchers to assess how acute fear influences the illusion of body ownership. Participants who associated the virtual body with symptoms of illness showed reduced identification compared to those who perceived it as healthy, further highlighting the impact of mental associations on body ownership perception.
Additionally, individuals with pre-existing anxiety exhibited more pronounced effects, suggesting that differences in processing negative stimuli play a role in shaping body ownership experiences. These results underscore the complex interplay between psychological factors and sensory experiences in virtual environments.
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