Interaction with the future self in virtual reality reduces self-defeating behavior in a sample of convicted offenders

Scientific Reports, vol. 12, pp. 2254

Abstract

In this study, we test an intervention in which convicted offenders interacted with an age-progressed avatar representing their future selves in virtual reality. During the interaction, they reflected on their current lifestyle, alternating between the perspective of their present self and that of their future self. We hypothesized that this embodied experience would increase their ability to imagine themselves in the future and reduce their engagement in self-defeating behavior, as measured with a self-report survey. In line with expectations, results indicated that the interaction increased vividness of the future self compared to baseline and reduced self-defeating behavior, including alcohol use and overspending, one week later. In addition, increases in vividness were associated with a reduction in self-defeating behavior over and above other concepts relating to the future self, including connectedness, similarity, and valence. The results are based on a small sample and should therefore be considered as indicative of the possibilities of our virtual reality paradigm as an intervention tool to reduce self-defeating behavior.

Authors 5

1. Jean‐Louis van Gelder corresponding Aachen Institute of Education and Child Studies

   Leiden University · Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Criminology, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law, Freiburg Im Breisgau, Germany. j.vangelder@csl.mpg.de

   Institute of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands. j.vangelder@csl.mpg.de

   Department of Criminology, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law, Freiburg Im Breisgau, Germany

2. Liza J. M. Cornet Aachen Institute of Education and Child Studies

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

3. Natascha P. Zwalua Aachen Institute of Education and Child Studies

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

4. Esther C. A. Mertens Aachen Institute of Education and Child Studies

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

5. Job van der Schalk Aachen Institute of Education and Child Studies

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands