Virtual reality technology awakens compassion through a homeless, unemployed experience

Based on virtual reality (VR), Stanford scientists have rediscovered despair and despair, thereby inspiring compassion and empathy in every human being.

When you read a news article related to the increase in homelessness, you will probably feel a little sad, but to be honest, you will probably forget this completely after just a minute, by all of us are quite good at ignoring things that are not yours. Researchers from Stanford University think that virtual reality technology will overcome this.

A recent study by Stanford University scientists focused on using to enhance empathy in the community by putting people in the context of others to learn to listen and call out compassion. Specifically, virtual reality technology will erect the situation of collapse to the extreme and people will lose everything.

Virtual reality technology will erect the situation of collapse to the extreme and people will lose everything.

The research team used the VR experience called "Becoming Homeless" (Becoming Homeless) to describe the feeling of wanting to find life in a ruin. In the virtual world, "players" will experience a series of difficulties from losing their jobs to losing their families.

Scientists have discovered that people who have experienced these difficult feelings before, or even when they are in the virtual world, tend to spend more sympathy for really difficult cases. in the real world.

Jeremy Bailenson, Stanford professor, co-author of the paper published in PLOS One said: "Practical experience helps shape people's thinking, so it is not surprising that strong experiences Being able to get through VR can have a much stronger impact than just imagining. "

In the virtual experience, unemployment causes players to sell assets in order to pay rent, while they search in vain where cheaper to live. That's the real life scenario of so many people, but researchers think you can never fully understand what it is, until you yourself experience it. "Becoming homeless" is just one of the many tragedies of life, but the research team thinks it is enough to change the players' view of the topic.

"Many people who share the same view through virtual reality experience will create greater empathy, thereby creating more positive behaviors for a prosperous society, after everyone has experienced it. for a while, instead of just imagining in a way that puts me in the position of others merely " . Fernanda Herrera, PhD student, is also the lead author of the study's author. He said: "It was an interesting finding . "