The sense of being as bound to the physical self is a core feature of human experience, even if we might not always be consciously aware of it. Nevertheless, the relation between “the mind” and “the body” has always been a perplexing question for humanity. Alterations in the sense of a bodily self, such as out-of-body experiences, reduplications of the self, or phantom limbs have intrigued artists, philosophers, scientists and laymen alike. There is this sense that they might reveal the underlying mechanisms of selfhood.

Research suggests that embodying virtual avatars not only alters how we perceive our own and other persons’ bodies but has an impact on our cognition and behavior at large. The proteus effect, for example, proposes that when embodying a virtual avatar, we acquire behaviors associated with that avatar. One study showed that after embodying Albert Einstein in virtual reality, participants perform better in cognitive tasks. It has further been suggested that embodying others might increase our positive attitudes (or decrease our negative attitudes) towards them or the group that they belong to.

But what about the possibility of embodying real humans?

Here, in collaboration with Bigna Lenggenhager from the University of Zurich, we show the Body Swap: an installation allowing two people to exchange bodies and perspectives. While giving visitors the opportunity to experience this unique self/other exchange, we are able to gather some data that can hopefully advance our scientific understanding on the perception of self and others and related cognition.