Published in Consciousness and Cognition (Vol. 133, 2025), this study explored illusory agency—the feeling that a virtual body's actions are one's own.
Participants embodied Mark Knopfler, the lead singer of Dire Straits, in VR, first in a dressing room and then on stage performing in front of a virtual crowd. When the virtual body moved synchronously with participants' real movements, they experienced stronger body ownership and vicarious agency, even adopting the virtual musician's posture and gestures.
The findings reveal how embodied VR experiences can powerfully shape our sense of self and action, and have behavioural consequences beyond the VR session itself.
Participants embodied Mark Knopfler, the lead singer of Dire Straits, in VR, first in a dressing room and then on stage performing in front of a virtual crowd. When the virtual body moved synchronously with participants' real movements, they experienced stronger body ownership and vicarious agency, even adopting the virtual musician's posture and gestures.
The findings reveal how embodied VR experiences can powerfully shape our sense of self and action, and have behavioural consequences beyond the VR session itself.