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Looking Back From the Future: Perspective Taking in Virtual Reality Increases Future Self-Continuity.

Benjamin Ganschow1, Liza Cornet1, Sven Zebel2

  • 1Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Institute of Education and Child Studies, University of Leiden, Leiden, Netherlands.

Frontiers in Psychology
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Virtual reality perspective-taking exercises significantly boost future self-continuity, enhancing feelings of connection and similarity to one's future self. This VR approach offers a powerful tool for personal development.

Keywords:
future selffuture self-continuityfuture self-vividnessperspective takingtwo-chair dialoguevirtual reality

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • Future self-continuity, the perceived connection to one's future self, is crucial for long-term goal pursuit and well-being.
  • Traditional methods to enhance future self-continuity often involve imagination-based exercises, which can vary in effectiveness based on individual differences.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate a novel perspective-taking exercise designed to increase future self-continuity.
  • To compare the effectiveness of this exercise delivered in a virtual reality (VR) environment versus an in vivo (in-person) setting.
  • To explore the potential added benefits of VR, such as improved focus and effectiveness, particularly for individuals with lower imaginative capacity.

Main Methods:

  • Participants engaged in a role-playing exercise, embodying their successful future selves and reflecting on the journey to achieve that future.
  • The exercise was administered in two conditions: a virtual reality environment and an in vivo setting.
  • Measures assessed four domains of future self-continuity: connectedness, similarity, vividness, and liking, alongside focus, perspective-taking ability, and individual differences in imagination.

Main Results:

  • The VR perspective-taking exercise significantly enhanced all four domains of future self-continuity (connectedness, similarity, vividness, liking).
  • The in vivo exercise only improved liking and vividness.
  • Differences in focus, perspective-taking, or imagination did not fully explain the VR advantage, suggesting a potential non-specific VR effect, possibly placebo.

Conclusions:

  • Virtual reality offers a potent medium for enhancing future self-continuity, significantly improving connectedness and similarity compared to in vivo methods.
  • The effectiveness of VR may be partly dependent on baseline vividness, indicating that individuals with lower baseline vividness might benefit more from the immersive VR experience.
  • Perspective-taking exercises within VR environments represent a promising and effective strategy for strengthening the connection to one's future self.