Scientists reduce fear of death by using virtual reality to induce an out-of-body experience

Virtual reality systems can create out-of-body experiences — and these experiences may be able to reduce the fear of death, according to a recently published study.

“My lab has been working for many years on the influence of changing someone’s body in virtual reality on their attitudes, perceptions, behavior and cognition,” the study’s corresponding author, Mel Slater of the University of Barcelona, told PsyPost. “For example, placing White people in a Black virtual body reduces their implicit racial bias, while putting adults into a child body changes their perceptions and self-identification.”

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http://www.psypost.org/2017/05/scientists-reduce-fear-death-using-virtual-reality-induce-body-experience-48894#prettyPhoto