Virtual Reality, Real Change

An article in Medical Daily quotes Jon Gratch and cites his research on virtual reality’s role in emotion and disclosure.
The story states that a future in which machines augment our emotions much like they boost our physical abilities is looking increasingly likely. Already in Gratch’s lab, participants have shown an increased willingness to disclose their mental health problems to virtual humans than therapists in real life. The reduced sense of judgement they felt from the computer pushed them to open up and display their sadness more freely.