Embodied time and the out-of-body experience of the self.
PeerJ – January 01, 2020
Source: PubMed
Summary
Experiencing an out-of-body illusion can significantly distort our perception of time. In a study with 60 participants, those who experienced synchronous strokes on a mannequin felt the duration between touches was longer than those receiving asynchronous strokes. Specifically, participants reported a heightened sense of their own body during the synchronous condition, especially when pleasant sensations were involved. The greater the out-of-body experience, the more pronounced the time distortion. This underscores how our awareness of the body influences our consciousness and sense of time.
Abstract
Using an out-of-body paradigm, the present study provided further empirical evidence for the theory of embodied time by suggesting that the body-self plays a key role in time judgments. Looking through virtual reality glasses, the participants saw the arm of a mannequin instead of their own arm. They had to judge the duration of the interval between two (perceived) touches applied to the mannequin's body after a series of strokes had been viewed being made to the mannequin and tactile strokes had been administered to the participants themselves. These strokes were administered either synchronously or asynchronously. During the interval, a pleasant (touch with a soft paintbrush) or an unpleasant stimulation (touch with a pointed knife) was applied to the mannequin. The results showed that the participants felt the perceived tactile stimulations in their own bodies more strongly after the synchronous than the asynchronous stroking condition, a finding which is consistent with the out-of-body illusion. In addition, the interval duration was judged longer in the synchronous than in the asynchronous condition. This time distortion increased the greater the individual out-of-body experience was. Our results therefore highlight the importance of the awareness of the body-self in the processing of time, i.e., the significance of embodied time.