Research: Virtual Reality Experience Boosts Confidence and Cognitive Skills

Virtual reality (VR) experience can enhance cognitive performance and self-esteem, a new study found. Researchers from the University of Barcelona in Spain gathered 30 young male participants for an experiment on “virtual embodiment”—the illusion of having a different body than one’s own. The participants were asked to wear a body-tracking suit and a VR headset. Half of them embodied legendary scientist Albert Einstein, while the other half personified an average adult body. Before the experiment, the researchers asked the participants to take tests that measured their self-esteem and cognitive capacity, or their ability to plan and to solve problems. After the experiment, the participants took the tests again. Based on the findings, those who had low self-esteem performed better during the second cognitive test after personifying Einstein than those who embodied an average adult body. The researchers suspect that the results were brought about by how people with low self-esteem have the most motivation to change their perception of themselves. By seeing themselves as an intelligent and a renowned scientist, it is possible that their confidence increased while taking the test. This, in turn, led to better performance in the cognitive test. Another study showed how VR experience can boost cognitive performance. Researchers from the University of Maryland found that people retain information better when immersing in VR environments, as opposed to using computers or tablets. The participants also claimed that they were able to concentrate more within the VR environment. According to a senior research scientist, there is a possibility that immersing in a VR environment can boost recall and learning by improving one’s orientation and mobility skills.