New Scientist’s Bitch Slap Turns Men Into Girls
by Pixeleen Mistral on 16/05/10 at 9:44 pm
New Scientist reports that men can be now turned into virtual girls – or at least experience some body transfer illusion – through a simple virtual reality program. A research subject wearing virtual reality googles first explores a virtual room in which a Nelly Furtado video is playing and a woman stands next to a seated girl. Herald technical experts believe the Nelly Furtado video plays a key role in what follows – or is this simply a case of product placement leaking into the serious scientific arena?
After exploring the room, the subject is placed in a first person view from the girl’s perspective as her arm is stroked at the same time the subject’s arm is stroked in real life to reinforced the illusion. After giving the men a chance to acclimate to their new virtual identity, the formerly friendly woman suddenly bitch slaps the girl three times as the men observe the virtual catfight from a third person perspective.
The narrator for the New Scientist video points out that after observing their newly adopted avatar being slapped, the men’s heart rates were affected as if they felt somehow threatened. Clearly, sitting in a lab wearing VR goggles and being stroked should have put the men totally at ease, so the best explanation is that the men have been turned into virtual girls!
Look for various groups in the Second Life Gorean and BDSM community to field test these important findings – although the more adventurous might ask how women might be turned into virtual men – simply reverse the slapping and stroking process, perhaps?
[hat tip to Bubblesort Triskaidekaphobia for pointing out this scientific breakthrough]
Alyx Stoklitsky
May 17th, 2010
Oh look, academic horseshit. Never seen that before!
At0m0 Beerbaum
May 17th, 2010
Men also may react as a woman is being threatened. It’s the whole defense mechanism, which is why most men who are men will get pissed off when they see another man raping or beating a woman.
So yeah heart rate tends to increase when we see physical harm befalling someone else.. that is, if you have an ounce of humanity.
Gaara Sandalwood
May 17th, 2010
The title is pure win.
JustMe
May 17th, 2010
Old news … Linden Lab has been “ruthing” virtual men into virtual girls for years. Every time they fix it, the bug pops up again months later !
Darien Caldwell
May 17th, 2010
Hah, that scientist just wanted an excuse to stroke other men.
But on a more serious note, this is very much like the way people who have lost a limb are sometimes treated for ‘phantom limb’ pain. The therapist will use a mirror to reflect the other existing limb so that the observer is given the impression the missing limb is present.
This has also been tried using virtual reality, with good results.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6146136.stm
Just more proof that people can truly identify with their avatars and take the virtual world very seriously.
Pappy Enoch
May 17th, 2010
I were a-fixin’ to see that-there catfight…won’t nuffin’ more saucy in them movin’ pictures than some feller gettin’ his arm rubbed.
SS
May 31st, 2010
Why would anyone go on Second Life and remain in her real life gender?
Steve
Feb 26th, 2012
I would startle if see a hand move in my direction when connected into virtual reality.