Body swap research shows that self is a trick of the mind

"If I Were You: Perceptual Illusion of Body Swapping" (PLoS ONE)

http://www.boingboing.net/2008/12/03/experiment-provides.html

Brain scientists have succeeded in fooling people into thinking they are inside the body of another person or a plastic dummy.

The out-of-body experience - which is surprisingly easy to induce - will help researchers to understand how the human brain constructs a sense of physical self. The research may also lead to practical applications such as more intuitive remote control of robots, treatments for phantom limb pain in amputee patients and possible treatments for anorexia.

The research follows a related study from the same group last year in which the scientists convinced volunteers that they were having an out-of-body experience. It was the first time it had been done in the lab and showed that the intensely spiritual experiences that patients sometimes have while on the operating table, for instance, can have a scientific explanation.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/dec/03/phantom-limb-pain-brain-science

-- IanHolmes - 03 Dec 2008