Embodiment Empowers Empathy in Virtual Reality

Wiederhold, Brenda K.

doi:10.1089/cyber.2020.29199.editorial

Cited by 17 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Another possibility is to exploit the simulative power of virtual reality (VR). 40 As demonstrated recently, VR is able to activate GPS neurons 41 and to generate empathy 42 allowing the development of more authentic relationships. 43 In line with these results, different companies are developing and/or have released recently different VR social platforms 44 that will be able to better support COVID-19: NEUROSCIENCE OF WORKING AND LEARNING distance learning and smart working: Facebook Horizon, VIVE Sync, AltspaceVR, Spatial, and VRChat.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Surviving COVID-19: The Neuroscience of Smart Working and Distance Learning

Riva

Wiederhold

Mantovani

2021

Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking

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The persistence of the coronavirus-caused respiratory disease and the related restrictions to mobility and social interactions are forcing a significant portion of students and workers to reorganize their daily activities to accommodate the needs of distance learning and agile work (smart working). What is the impact of these changes on the bosses/teachers' and workers/students' experience? This article uses recent neuroscience research findings to explore how distance learning and smart working impact the following three pillars that reflect the organization of our brain and are at the core of school and office experiences: (a) the learning/work happens in a dedicated physical place; (b) the learning/work is carried out under the supervision of a boss/professor; and (c) the learning/work is distributed between team members/classmates. For each pillar, we discuss its link with the specific cognitive processes involved and the impact that technology has on their functioning. In particular, the use of videoconferencing affects the functioning of Global Positioning System neurons (neurons that code our navigation behavior), mirror neurons, self-attention networks, spindle cells, and interbrain neural oscillations. These effects have a significant impact on many identity and cognitive processes, including social and professional identity, leadership, intuition, mentoring, and creativity. In conclusion, just moving typical office and learning processes inside a videoconferencing platform, as happened in many contexts during the COVID-19 pandemic, can in the long term erode corporate cultures and school communities. In this view, an effective use of technology requires us to reimagine how work and teaching are done virtually, in creative and bold new ways.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Surviving COVID-19: The Neuroscience of Smart Working and Distance Learning

Riva

Wiederhold

Mantovani

2021

Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking

Self Cite

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“…On the other hand, our results highlighted the importance of supporting self-care strategies, which include the possibility of exploiting the potential of interventions based on meditation, relaxation and positive psychology practices, in a personalized way [ 49 – 51 ]. Finally, it is important to recognize the chances offered by advanced videoconferencing tools, that allow to place participants’ live video images into a fixed position within a digital setting to increase the feeling of sharing a common space, or to use virtual reality social platforms to better support authentic relationships [ 42 , 52 ]. This study has also some limitations: we measured a specific population’s views at a specific point in time; their beliefs and attitudes reflect the information available at the time and therefore are not stable.…”

Section: Conclusion and Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and health correlates of Onine Fatigue: A cross-sectional study on the Italian academic community during the COVID-19 pandemic

et al. 2021

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Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people had to shift their social and work life online. A few researchers and journalists described a new form of fatigue associated with a massive use of technology, including videoconferencing platforms. In this study, this type of fatigue was referred to as Online Fatigue. A new tool (the Online Fatigue Scale) was developed, and its psychometric properties were evaluated. This tool was used to assess Online Fatigue among Italian academics and to examine its associations with psychological and physical health. Methods An online survey was conducted in December 2020 on a sample of Italian academics. Besides the Online Fatigue Scale (11 items) used to assess Online Fatigue, the survey was composed of questionnaires (including validated measures) focused on sociodemographic and job-related information, technostress creators, health status, psychological well-being, and COVID-related perceived distress. The psychometric properties of the Online Fatigue Scale were evaluated, and statistical analyses were conducted to examine the associations between Online Fatigue and all the other variables. Results Participants were 307 academics aged 24–70 years old (mean age = 40.7; SD = 10.1). The Online Fatigue Scale showed good psychometric properties. Two subscales were identified: Off-Balance Fatigue and Virtual Relations Fatigue. High levels of Off-Balance Fatigue were associated with a greater use of technology, female gender, and presence of minor children. Participants with high scores on both subscales reported a greater frequency of psychosomatic symptoms, unhealthy habits, poorer psychological well-being, and greater Covid-related perceived distress. Conclusions The Online Fatigue Scale can be considered a reliable tool to assess Online Fatigue, which was significantly detected in our sample of Italian academics, along with its negative effects on physical and psychological health. Being a woman and having young children represent important risk factors. Universities should promote the separation between work and private life by encouraging self-care activities.

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“…By letting the patient see through the eyes of a person who is living a similar experience, we think that our paradigm could also offer an experience of empathy (Bertrand et al, 2018 ; Thériault et al, 2021 ). Using a somatic technique to let people experience the changes they will feel in their bodies post-treatment, we hope to evoke not only cognitive empathy (i.e., the intellectual awareness of one’s emotions and psychological state), but also its bodily correlates (i.e., emotional empathy), matching the emotional perception and the somatic experience of the avatar with those of the patient (Wiederhold, 2020 ). The embodiment manipulation in this context is indeed aimed at completing the visual stimulation with other bodily information, reaching the somatic dimension of the illness.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mitigating negative emotions through virtual reality and embodiment

Sansoni

Scarzello

Serino

et al. 2022

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

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Oncological treatments are responsible for many of the physical changes (aesthetic and functional) associated with cancer. Because of this, cancer patients are at high risk of developing mental health problems. The aim of this study is to propose an innovative Virtual Reality (VR) training that uses a somatic technique (i.e., embodiment) to create a bridge with the bodily dimension of cancer. After undergoing a psycho-educational procedure, a combination of exposure, out-of-body experience, and body swapping will gradually train the patient to cope with cancer-related difficulties, increasing stress tolerance, and patient empowerment. The most engaging step of this advanced form of Stress Inoculation Training is the body swapping experience, which will guide the patient in embodying a resilient cancer patient who is facing similar difficulties. Through the VR ability to simulate the human brain functioning, and the potential of embodiment to hook to the somatic dimension of illness, we expect that once the concepts endured through the patient’s experience of resilience are triggered, the patient will be more prone to implement functional coping strategies in real life, reaching empowerment and adjusting to the post-treatment difficulties. When the scenarios are built and the training tested, our intervention could be used to support patients with different oncological diseases and who are treated in different cancer hospitals, as well as patients with other non-oncological problems (e.g., social anxiety). Future research should focus on using our paradigm for other clinical populations, and supporting cancer patients in coping with different distressing situations.

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Embodiment Empowers Empathy in Virtual Reality

Cited by 17 publications

References 10 publications

Surviving COVID-19: The Neuroscience of Smart Working and Distance Learning

Surviving COVID-19: The Neuroscience of Smart Working and Distance Learning

Prevalence and health correlates of Onine Fatigue: A cross-sectional study on the Italian academic community during the COVID-19 pandemic

Mitigating negative emotions through virtual reality and embodiment

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