Self-observation of a virtual body-double engaged in social interaction reduces persecutory thoughts

The proportion of the population who experience persecutory thoughts is 10–15%. People then engage in safety-seeking behaviours, typically avoiding social interactions, which prevents disconfirmatory experiences and hence paranoia persists. Here we show that persecutory thoughts can be reduced if pr...

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Authors: Gorisse, Geoffrey, Senel, Gizem, Banakou, Domna, Beacco Porres, Alejandro|||0000-0001-8192-1431, Oliva Martínez, Ramon, Freeman, Daniel, Slater, Mel
Format: article
Publication Date:2021
Country:España
Institution:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repository:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/381526
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/381526
https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-03373-x
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Virtual reality
Avatars (Virtual reality)
VR
Realitat virtual
Avatars (Realitat virtual)
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Informàtica
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network_acronym_str ES
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repository_id_str
spelling Self-observation of a virtual body-double engaged in social interaction reduces persecutory thoughtsGorisse, GeoffreySenel, GizemBanakou, DomnaBeacco Porres, Alejandro|||0000-0001-8192-1431Oliva Martínez, RamonFreeman, DanielSlater, MelVirtual realityAvatars (Virtual reality)VRVirtual realityRealitat virtualAvatars (Realitat virtual)Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::InformàticaThe proportion of the population who experience persecutory thoughts is 10–15%. People then engage in safety-seeking behaviours, typically avoiding social interactions, which prevents disconfirmatory experiences and hence paranoia persists. Here we show that persecutory thoughts can be reduced if prior to engaging in social interaction in VR participants first see their virtual body-double doing so. Thirty non-clinical participants were recruited to take part in a study, where they were embodied in a virtual body that closely resembled themselves, and asked to interact with members of a crowd. In the Random condition (n=15) they observed their body-double wandering around but not engaging with the crowd. In the Targeted condition the body-double correctly interacted with members of the crowd. The Green Paranoid Thoughts Scale was measured 1 week before and 1 week after the exposure and decreased only for those in the Targeted condition. The results suggest that the observation of the body-double correctly carrying out a social interaction task in VR may lead to anxiety-reducing mental rehearsal for interaction thus overcoming safety behaviours. The results also extend knowledge of the effects of vicarious agency, suggesting that identification with the actions of body-double can influence subsequent psychological state.Nature20212021-12-1420232023-01-31journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501VoRhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85info:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/2117/381526https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-03373-xreponame:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPCinstname:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)Inglésengopen accesshttp://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/3815262026-05-27T15:37:01Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Self-observation of a virtual body-double engaged in social interaction reduces persecutory thoughts
title Self-observation of a virtual body-double engaged in social interaction reduces persecutory thoughts
spellingShingle Self-observation of a virtual body-double engaged in social interaction reduces persecutory thoughts
Gorisse, Geoffrey
Virtual reality
Avatars (Virtual reality)
VR
Virtual reality
Realitat virtual
Avatars (Realitat virtual)
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Informàtica
title_short Self-observation of a virtual body-double engaged in social interaction reduces persecutory thoughts
title_full Self-observation of a virtual body-double engaged in social interaction reduces persecutory thoughts
title_fullStr Self-observation of a virtual body-double engaged in social interaction reduces persecutory thoughts
title_full_unstemmed Self-observation of a virtual body-double engaged in social interaction reduces persecutory thoughts
title_sort Self-observation of a virtual body-double engaged in social interaction reduces persecutory thoughts
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Gorisse, Geoffrey
Senel, Gizem
Banakou, Domna
Beacco Porres, Alejandro|||0000-0001-8192-1431
Oliva Martínez, Ramon
Freeman, Daniel
Slater, Mel
author Gorisse, Geoffrey
author_facet Gorisse, Geoffrey
Senel, Gizem
Banakou, Domna
Beacco Porres, Alejandro|||0000-0001-8192-1431
Oliva Martínez, Ramon
Freeman, Daniel
Slater, Mel
author_role author
author2 Senel, Gizem
Banakou, Domna
Beacco Porres, Alejandro|||0000-0001-8192-1431
Oliva Martínez, Ramon
Freeman, Daniel
Slater, Mel
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Virtual reality
Avatars (Virtual reality)
VR
Virtual reality
Realitat virtual
Avatars (Realitat virtual)
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Informàtica
topic Virtual reality
Avatars (Virtual reality)
VR
Virtual reality
Realitat virtual
Avatars (Realitat virtual)
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Informàtica
description The proportion of the population who experience persecutory thoughts is 10–15%. People then engage in safety-seeking behaviours, typically avoiding social interactions, which prevents disconfirmatory experiences and hence paranoia persists. Here we show that persecutory thoughts can be reduced if prior to engaging in social interaction in VR participants first see their virtual body-double doing so. Thirty non-clinical participants were recruited to take part in a study, where they were embodied in a virtual body that closely resembled themselves, and asked to interact with members of a crowd. In the Random condition (n=15) they observed their body-double wandering around but not engaging with the crowd. In the Targeted condition the body-double correctly interacted with members of the crowd. The Green Paranoid Thoughts Scale was measured 1 week before and 1 week after the exposure and decreased only for those in the Targeted condition. The results suggest that the observation of the body-double correctly carrying out a social interaction task in VR may lead to anxiety-reducing mental rehearsal for interaction thus overcoming safety behaviours. The results also extend knowledge of the effects of vicarious agency, suggesting that identification with the actions of body-double can influence subsequent psychological state.
publishDate 2021
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2021
2021-12-14
2023
2023-01-31
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv journal article
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
VoR
http://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85
dc.type.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://hdl.handle.net/2117/381526
https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-03373-x
url https://hdl.handle.net/2117/381526
https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-03373-x
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
eng
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
language eng
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.rights.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Nature
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Nature
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
instname:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
instname_str Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
reponame_str UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
collection UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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score 15,301629

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