Study: Virtual Reality May Increase Ability to Understand Other People’s Feelings

Category: Lifestyle/Entertainment

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. empathize / ˈɛm pəˌθaɪz / (v) – to feel what someone else is feeling
    Example:

    The boy’s parents taught him to empathize with less fortunate people, so he loves to share what he has.


  2. identify with (someone) / aɪˈdɛntəˌfaɪ wɪð / (phrasal) – to relate to another person’s emotions or experience
    Example:

    Nurses need to identify with patients in pain.


  3. immersion / ɪˈmɜr ʒən / (n) – the state of being completely involved in an activity, interest, or a situation
    Example:

    The whole classroom was quiet because of the students’ complete immersion in the movie.


  4. first-person / fɜrst ˈpɜr sən / (adj) – moving or playing as though you are the character, such as in video games or virtual environments
    Example:

    I like games that have a first-person perspective because they feel realistic.


  5. rehabilitate / ˌri həˈbɪl ɪˌteɪt / (v) – to get someone to go back to living healthily and normally again after being sick or imprisoned
    Example:

    There are nonprofit organizations that help rehabilitate people in prison.


Article

Read the text below.

New research claims that virtual reality (VR) can help a person empathize better with others.


The study suggests that VR might help increase the empathy of people who have difficulty relating to others. According to the researchers, VR simulations can activate brain networks that increase people’s capacity to identify with another person. The simulation can increase empathy by tricking a person’s brain into believing that he is experiencing what another person is going through.


The study was divided into two stages. During Stage 1, the study’s 20 participants were split into two groups and underwent VR immersion training. The VR training involved a female character. One group was immersed in the VR environment from the first-person perspective, which made them feel as if they were the woman. The other group was immersed in the VR environment from the third-person perspective, which let them simply watch the woman.


Later in Stage 2, the participants were made to watch a VR simulation of the same woman being yelled at by someone. Those who had experienced the first-person perspective during Stage 1 identified more with the woman, compared to those who had experienced the third-person perspective before.


Results showed that the participants who had experienced the first-person perspective had more activity in the part of the brain that controls one’s sense of personal space. This means that they felt as though they were in the position of the woman in the simulation.


Study lead author Aline de Borst said that using VR increases the participants’ immersion in a given situation. VR gives the illusion that something is happening to the people seeing it, which lets them see the situation from a new perspective.


The researchers believe that this VR method can be developed and used to rehabilitate violent offenders who may have little empathy for others.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

• Do you think this kind of VR training is a good way to rehabilitate violent offenders? Why or why not?
• Where else can this immersive VR training be used (e.g. in schools)? Explain.

Discussion B

• How important is empathy in our daily social interactions? Explain.
• What do you think helps people develop empathy (e.g. interacting with different kinds of people)? Discuss.