Advertisement

January 11, 2013

Why Leaping from a Virtual Reality Cliff Is Scary

Bonnie Tsui, Pacific Standard


AP Photo

IN THE 1982 SCIENCE-FICTION NOVEL Software, an elderly character named Cobb Anderson trades in his frail human body for an android avatar and then sets out on an unusual mission: to start a cult. The old man’s new body allows him to alter his appearance at will, which turns out to be handy for gathering disciples.

Read Full Article ››

TAGGED: avatars, virtual reality, psychology

RECOMMENDED ARTICLES

January 4, 2013
We Are Horrible at Predicting Our Futures
Greg Miller, Science Now
Are you going to love Taylor Swift just as much in 10 years as you do now? Sure, you might think, I'll be basically the same person then, with roughly the same preferences, values, and personality traits. But you're ... more ››
January 3, 2013
Fukushima Kids Are Getting Fatter... from Fear
David Ropeik, Big Think
I write here about the Risk Perception Gap, when we worry too much about smaller risks and not enough about bigger ones. More than just an interesting example of how human cognition isn’t nearly as ‘rational’... more ››
December 31, 2012
Black, White Spur Black-and-White Judgments
David Berreby, Big Think
Trial lawyers who advise male defendants to dress in dark suits and white shirts might think twice about that notion after a look at this study, soon to appear in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. The experimenters... more ››
|