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Published on: April 20, 2019
Seeing and identifying with a virtual body decreases pain perception
Alexander Hänsel1, Bigna Lenggenhager, Roland von Känel
1Division of Psychosomatic Medicine, Department of General Internal Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Switzerland. Alexander.Haensel@insel.ch
European Journal of Pain (London, England)
|May 17, 2011
Summary
Virtual reality altered bodily self-consciousness, influencing pain perception. Synchronous stroking enhanced self-identification with a virtual body, increasing pain thresholds.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Human-Computer Interaction
Background:
- Pain perception is intrinsically linked to subjective conscious experience and the sense of self.
- Bodily self-consciousness, encompassing self-location and self-identification, plays a crucial role in how we experience our bodies and the world.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether experimentally induced changes in bodily self-consciousness impact pain perception.
- To explore the influence of virtual reality and visuo-tactile conflicts on pain thresholds.
Main Methods:
- Utilized virtual reality technology to create visuo-tactile conflicts in healthy participants.
- Applied stroking to a virtual body and a control object, manipulating synchrony to alter self-location and self-identification.
- Measured changes in pressure pain thresholds and self-perception.
Main Results:
- Visuo-tactile stroking of a virtual body, independent of synchrony, increased pressure pain thresholds and enhanced self-location.
- Synchronous stroking specifically increased self-identification with the virtual body.
- Increased self-identification positively correlated with elevated pain thresholds.
Conclusions:
- Experimental manipulation of bodily self-consciousness, particularly self-identification, can modulate pain perception.
- Findings highlight the functional mechanisms linking self-perception, body representation, and pain processing.
- Virtual reality offers a novel tool for studying the mind-body connection in pain.
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