Can an experience in a virtual reality actually influence the way we behave? According to Mike Olsen’s article in Wired Magazine, if a person witnesses him/herself in a virtual reality, that person is more likely to alter their behavior according to what they’ve seen. For example, when a person experiences him/herself as heavier, they are more likely to hit the gym. Additionally, being introduced to one’s future self (aged) influences people to save money for retirement, most likely because one’s future self is no longer a stranger but a soon to be reality. Scary, right? So if you’re looking for a push in the right direction, whether it’s to work out more, drink less, or save more money, perhaps you should experience the appropriate virtual reality for some proven effectiveness.
(Olsen, Mike. Wired. Nov 2011, page 048).