Noises determine how large people think they are and could combat body dysmorphia, study finds
- Noises could help shape someone’s perception of their body, study suggests
- Participants feel taller or shorter depending on when a sound was played
- Findings could also benefit people with Parkinson’s or stroke patients
- May help gamers create virtual-reality worlds where players feel like characters
- Body dysmorphia affects around 2% of people in the UK and US
Noises determine how large people think they are and could combat body dysmorphia, new research suggests.
Study participants were asked to drop a ball from their height and notice the sound when it hit the floor.
Researchers masked this noise and played a sound that suggested the ball hit the ground sooner or later than expected.
When the participants described their heights, the different sounds they heard influenced how tall or short they thought they were.
Lead author Dr Ana Tajadura-Jiménez, from University College London, said: ‘This could be a really promising avenue for treating clinical conditions where people suffer from chronic pain or other conditions linked to distorted mental body representations such as anorexia nervosa.’
Body dysmorphic disorder affects around two per cent of people in the UK and US.
Noises determine how large people think they are and could combat body dysmorphia (stock)
How the research was carried out
The researchers blindedfold 26 people with an average age of 31. Their heights and leg lengths were measured.
The participants dropped the ball from their height four times, however, the noises played to them suggested it had been dropped from half height, actual height, and two and three times their height.
After each time, the participants were asked to take a step back to a position they had been shown earlier.
The size of the step was measured and used to determine how tall the participants thought they were.
Findings could benefit Parkinson’s and stroke patients
Professor Ophelia Deroy added: ‘Results show that as the perceived time it took the ball to hit the floor increased, so too did the participants’ perception of their body height and leg length.’
The researchers believe their findings may also benefit Parkinson’s patients or those who have suffered a stroke by helping them to have more awareness of the positions of their bodies and their own strength.
Game manufacturers could even use the results to help create virtual-reality worlds where players take on larger characters on screen, they add.
The findings were published in the journal PLOS ONE.