Einstein’s virtual reality avatar can help people with low self-esteem to do better

In this new era of science and technology, Virtual Reality (VR) is the next big thing. Everyday VR is being pushed to new heights and breaking conventional boundaries. Now VR is merely not used for games and VR simulation but a totally unheard VR experience is on the horizon and it includes Einstein and low self-esteem.

A tour in Albert Einstein’s body can help people with low self-esteem, and help them score better on cognitive tests, a study has revealed.

This experience can also reduce the unconscious stereotyping of elderly people with a visit to the mind of Albert Einstein.

Published in Frontiers in psychology the study suggests the way our brain perceives our body is surprisingly flexible. The researchers hope the technique will be useful for education.

“Virtual reality can create the illusion of a virtual body to substitute your own, which is called virtual embodiment,” said Mel Slater, a professor at the University of Barcelona in Spain

“In an immersive virtual environment, participants can see this new body reflected in a mirror and it exactly matches their movements, helping to create a powerful illusion that the virtual body is their own,” said Slater. Previous research found that virtual embodiment can have striking effects on attitudes and behaviour. For example, white people who experienced a virtual black body showed less unconscious stereotyping (called implicit bias) of black people. “We wondered whether virtual embodiment could affect cognition. If we gave someone a recognizable body that represents supreme intelligence, such as that of Albert Einstein, would they perform better on a cognitive task than people given a normal body?” said Slater.

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To conduct the experiment, 30 young men were recruited in a virtual embodiment experiment. Prior to the test. The participants completed three tests: a cognitive task to reveal their planning and problem-solving skills; a task to quantify their self-esteem, and one to identify any implicit bias towards older people. The final was to investigate whether the experience of having an older appearance simulation could change attitudes to older people. The participant has then donned a body-tracking suit and a virtual reality headset. Half the people experienced a normal adult and others experienced a virtual Einstein body.

When the exercise was complete, they repeated the implicit bias and cognitive tests. The researchers found that people with low self-esteem performed the cognitive task better following the virtual Einstein experience, compared with those who experienced a normal body of someone their own age. Those exposed to the Einstein body also had a reduced implicit bias against older people. Crucially, cognitive enhancements only occurred in people with low self-esteem. Researches hypothesise that people with low self-esteem had the most to be benefited from the experiment. Seeing themselves in the body of a respected and intelligent scientist may have enhanced their confidence during the cognitive test.