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Nicola De Pisapia
Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of TrentoNicola De Pisapia
Now published in Scientific Reports our study resulting from the collaboration between the University of Trento, the University of Tübingen and the Israel Institute of Technology, in which we find that creative thinking increases after being in virtual reality environments that simulate psychedelic hallucinations .
Now published in Scientific Reports our study resulting from the collaboration between the University of Trento, the University of Tübingen and the Israel Institute of Technology, in which we find that creative thinking increases after being in virtual reality environments that simulate psychedelic hallucinations .
There is a lot of talk about the Metaverse - a sort of virtual technological universe, mostly still under construction, but potentially one step away from us, and to which we can access thanks to virtual reality headsets. These tools are able to immerse us in very convincing 3D simulations, which are - to use a technical term - immersive. In a virtual reality environment the person really feels present inside the simulated environment, and therefore it is as if he/she were immersed in it. In the Metaverse it is also possible to have your own virtual body, or avatar. This digital body can be made like us (for example using a photographic scan of our face and body), or it can be completely different from us, as happens in the James Cameron movie Avatar back in 2009. The Metaverse is can be thought as a future moment of technology which is already present today, but which will be perfected more and more - and in which people will be able to move voluntarily by carrying out - in complete immersion - activities that they already currently carry out "bi-dimensionally" surfing the web, such as meeting and talking with people, buying objects, working, studying, attending conferences, and so on, but in virtual reality gaining the three-dimensionality, immersion, realism, flexibility of identity.
There is a lot of talk about the Metaverse - a sort of virtual technological universe, mostly still under construction, but potentially one step away from us, and to which we can access thanks to virtual reality headsets. These tools are able to immerse us in very convincing 3D simulations, which are - to use a technical term - immersive. In a virtual reality environment the person really feels present inside the simulated environment, and therefore it is as if he/she were immersed in it. In the Metaverse it is also possible to have your own virtual body, or avatar. This digital body can be made like us (for example using a photographic scan of our face and body), or it can be completely different from us, as happens in the James Cameron movie Avatar back in 2009. The Metaverse is can be thought as a future moment of technology which is already present today, but which will be perfected more and more - and in which people will be able to move voluntarily by carrying out - in complete immersion - activities that they already currently carry out "bi-dimensionally" surfing the web, such as meeting and talking with people, buying objects, working, studying, attending conferences, and so on, but in virtual reality gaining the three-dimensionality, immersion, realism, flexibility of identity.
The possibilities offered by these virtual environments are still to be explored, with obvious questions and problems also from an ethical point of view; for example, what would happen if a little girl spent many hours a day in virtual reality? Furthermore, it is not at all clear what happens to human consciousness when it is transferred to virtual environments in special conditions, such as for prolonged periods (as could happen if we worked in that mode), or in environments that do not simulate, but instead alter physical reality. And it is this latter aspect that we have begun to explore in a new study now published in Scientific Reports (link to the article at the bottom of this page). In this experiment we have in fact explored what happens to the minds of people who are immersed in virtual psychedelic environments, and in particular we have focused on creative abilities and cognitive flexibility.
The possibilities offered by these virtual environments are still to be explored, with obvious questions and problems also from an ethical point of view; for example, what would happen if a little girl spent many hours a day in virtual reality? Furthermore, it is not at all clear what happens to human consciousness when it is transferred to virtual environments in special conditions, such as for prolonged periods (as could happen if we worked in that mode), or in environments that do not simulate, but instead alter physical reality. And it is this latter aspect that we have begun to explore in a new study now published in Scientific Reports (link to the article at the bottom of this page). In this experiment we have in fact explored what happens to the minds of people who are immersed in virtual psychedelic environments, and in particular we have focused on creative abilities and cognitive flexibility.
Historically, psychedelics have been known for their ability to modulate cognitive flexibility, which is a central aspect of human cognition, enabling intelligent adaptation to changing environmental demands better than in other species. Although evidence suggests phenomenological similarities between artificially induced and real psychedelic altered perception, there is still no experimental evidence that the former is also capable of modulating cognitive flexibility. To explore this, we measured the cognitive flexibility of our participants following immersion in altered virtual reality environments using the DeepDream algorithm, which visually constructs images that recall perceptions during some of the altered states of consciousness.
Historically, psychedelics have been known for their ability to modulate cognitive flexibility, which is a central aspect of human cognition, enabling intelligent adaptation to changing environmental demands better than in other species. Although evidence suggests phenomenological similarities between artificially induced and real psychedelic altered perception, there is still no experimental evidence that the former is also capable of modulating cognitive flexibility. To explore this, we measured the cognitive flexibility of our participants following immersion in altered virtual reality environments using the DeepDream algorithm, which visually constructs images that recall perceptions during some of the altered states of consciousness.
DeepDream is a software program created by Google engineer Alexander Mordvintsev. This program uses an artificial neural network (artificial intelligence) to transform an initial image and introduce a sort of algorithmic pareidolia, that is, creating visual forms with meaning (for example, animals), but starting from random forms (for example, the contour of a cloud).
DeepDream is a software program created by Google engineer Alexander Mordvintsev. This program uses an artificial neural network (artificial intelligence) to transform an initial image and introduce a sort of algorithmic pareidolia, that is, creating visual forms with meaning (for example, animals), but starting from random forms (for example, the contour of a cloud).
In the resulting image, therefore, a dreamlike aspect is created that reminds a psychedelic experience, in particular in the propensity to see images of animals superimposed on ordinary reality.
In the resulting image, therefore, a dreamlike aspect is created that reminds a psychedelic experience, in particular in the propensity to see images of animals superimposed on ordinary reality.
In the two images on the side you can see how the DeepDream algorithm works: at the top there is an unmodified image, below the same image when modified with the algorithm. As you can see, visual elements such as clouds, rocks and shadows are mutated into eyes, noses, animals, spiral or globular shapes.
In the two images on the side you can see how the DeepDream algorithm works: at the top there is an unmodified image, below the same image when modified with the algorithm. As you can see, visual elements such as clouds, rocks and shadows are mutated into eyes, noses, animals, spiral or globular shapes.
To carry out the scientific study, the participants were then immersed for a few minutes in three-dimensional virtual environments processed with DeepDream. Immediately after, they underwent several psychological tests which measured their creative abilities and their cognitive flexibility abilities. Creativity can be defined as the ability to generate new and valid ideas (where the "validity" changes according to the context in which creativity is expressed). Cognitive flexibility is instead the ability of people to act in a non-automatic way, in contrast to the propensity to follow pre-packaged behavioral patterns, adapting flexibly to what is required moment by moment in the pursuit of goals.
To carry out the scientific study, the participants were then immersed for a few minutes in three-dimensional virtual environments processed with DeepDream. Immediately after, they underwent several psychological tests which measured their creative abilities and their cognitive flexibility abilities. Creativity can be defined as the ability to generate new and valid ideas (where the "validity" changes according to the context in which creativity is expressed). Cognitive flexibility is instead the ability of people to act in a non-automatic way, in contrast to the propensity to follow pre-packaged behavioral patterns, adapting flexibly to what is required moment by moment in the pursuit of goals.
Following comparisons with control conditions, the results clearly showed that, after immersion in psychedelic environments simulated in virtual reality, individuals showed a reduced propensity to follow automatic behaviors, and also an increase in creative abilities and dynamics in their decision-making processes. In essence, the immersive experience in an altered virtual reality improved their creative thinking and cognitive flexibility, presumably due to a reorganization in cognitive dynamics that facilitated the exploration of uncommon decision-making strategies and inhibited automated choices.
Following comparisons with control conditions, the results clearly showed that, after immersion in psychedelic environments simulated in virtual reality, individuals showed a reduced propensity to follow automatic behaviors, and also an increase in creative abilities and dynamics in their decision-making processes. In essence, the immersive experience in an altered virtual reality improved their creative thinking and cognitive flexibility, presumably due to a reorganization in cognitive dynamics that facilitated the exploration of uncommon decision-making strategies and inhibited automated choices.
These results therefore seem to indicate a potential benefit of breaking our expectations of what the world should look like. The Metaverse could facilitate these processes of altering expectations in ways that are yet to be explored.
These results therefore seem to indicate a potential benefit of breaking our expectations of what the world should look like. The Metaverse could facilitate these processes of altering expectations in ways that are yet to be explored.
The original article is available for free (open access mode) by clicking on the link below:
10/03/2022
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