Virtual Reality (VR) might lead to more suicide and depression. Here is why!
Research on Virtual Reality and the deep embodiment
A lot of researchers and clinical trials discussed the positive impact of using Virtual Reality (VR) as an exercise to treat anxiety and depression through what’s called virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET), where patients are exposed to virtual environments that resemble feared real-life situations. And obviously, virtual reality is invading every and each domain and house and will be impacting our day-to-day life.
Currently, Virtual Reality (VR) is being used in training and simulations, army training, educations, medicine and surgery practice, as well as in plenty of other areas and industries. Most important is the use of VR in gaming and in creating artificial worlds and environments which are highly impacting and affecting the society especially children and youth. So video games are addictive—this we know, however, the main difference between VR and Video Games is that in virtual reality, people can interact with the characters and with each other through “the deep embodiment” which leads to a strong attachment to the artificial world and a tremendous increase in pleasure.
The main driver of that pleasure is the increase of the dopamine level which is one of the brain’s basic signalling molecules, impacting us emotionally by increasing temporarily our engagement, excitement, creativity, and a desire to investigate and make meaning out of the “virtual” world…But the question is what will happen after coming back to the real reality? How will the brain react once the reality is totally different from the virtual life?
To answer that question, it’s important to understand that, dopamine is a motivator, released when we have the expectation of reward. And once this neurotransmitter becomes hardwired into a psychological reward loop, the desire to get more of that reward becomes the brain’s overarching preoccupation. That would lead to addiction as strong as the addiction to Cocaine which is considered the most addictive drug on the planet (see Forbes, Kotler, Steven 2014). Inside the brain, cocaine acts upon a part of the brain called the ventral tegmental area (VTA). More specifically, cocaine interferes with the activity of the dopamine neurotransmitter used by neurons to communicate, and it blocks 60-77% of dopamine transporters in the central nervous system as well it alters the level of serotonin (the neurotransmitter responsible for maintaining mood balance) in our brains (Solanki 2015).
Cocaine fakes the Real Reality (RR) in the same way as Virtual Reality does
Similar to Cocaine is faking the Real Reality (RR), where tolerance develops, and users require like cocaine more and more engagement and use of the virtual reality to feel the same effects of pleasure and happiness which if practised regularly, may lead to addiction. Additionally, the user will experience what has come to be known in cocaine addiction as a “crash” along with a number of other withdrawal symptoms, including paranoia, depression, exhaustion, anxiety…an intense craving for more substance.
As a result, a counter effect will occur, resulting in a resistance of leaving the virtual world, resistance in true engagement in the real world as well as social isolation and anti-socialization which will lead to serious depression. And as known, depression is a major psychological disorder and a serious illness where feelings of depressed individuals are negatively affected not only with sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed but also with trouble of sleeping, loss of energy, feeling worthless or guilty and thoughts of death or suicide (Ranna Parekh, M.D. 2017) where all these symptoms may be caused by the appliance of virtual reality in every and each activity in our real world.
Sources:
Forbes, Kotler, Steven, Laura Anne Edwards. 2014. “Legal Heroin: Is Virtual Reality Our Next Hard Drug.” https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenkotler/2014/01/15/legal-heroin-is-virtual-reality-our-next-hard-drug.
Ranna Parekh, M.D., M.P.H. 2017. “What Is Depression?” https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/depression/what-is-depression.
Solanki, Surya. 2015. “What Does Cocaine Do to the Brain?” http://drug.addictionblog.org/what-does-cocaine-do-to-the-brain/.
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