Body size influences perception

Altering the brain’s perception of their body size may influence how different people perceive the world around them, a new study says.

Scientists at Karolinska Institute in Sweden in a study tricked participants to believe they were either the size of a Barbie dolls or a 4 meters giant. Then the scientists evaluated their perception of space by asking them to estimate the size of various blocks and then walk over to the blocks with their eyes shut.

According to the findings appeared in PLoS ONE, participants, who believed to have a tiny body, overestimated the size of certain objects and their distance from them.

Vice versa, people who thought their bodies were large adversely underestimated their size and their distance from objects.

Classical theory suggests that people perceive size and distance based on how their brain interprets different visual cues like the size of an object on the retina and how this object moves across the visual field.

"Tiny bodies perceive the world as huge, and vice versa," said lead researcher Henrik Ehrsson, who himself participated in the study. "Even though we know just how large people are, the illusion makes us perceive other people as giants; it’s a very weird experience."

Scientists suggested that their findings might contribute to certain practical applications, such as swapping human bodies with artificial ones.

Source: presstv.ir