Scared of Dying? Texas Researchers Use Virtual Reality to Ease Death Anxiety

Death. When it all comes down to it, this is one of the only things that every single living being on the planet has in common. Everything dies: it's inevitable. So, why are we so scared of it if it's something we can't control?

Researchers at Texas A&M University attempted to address the fear of death by combining in-depth studies with virtual reality (VR).

Fighting Death Anxiety, One VR Headset at a Time

What researchers learned about the public's perception of death is that it's unsurprisingly linked to negative mental health effects like depression, stress, and panic attacks.

Interestingly enough, this anxiety about death often peaks among young adults in their 20s, then declines for a short period of time before increasing once more after age 65.

In efforts to limit this end-of-life stress, students from the College of Architecture were surveyed twice, once before the experiment and once after.

The virtual reality landscape that was created for this very study was meant to simulate a near-death experience. Researchers would then explore therapeutic exercises afterwards.

For example, one common tactic was simulating a car accident where the individual experienced their spirit rising from their body after the impact. They then were shown flashbacks from their memory before arriving to a serene landscape.

Key Findings from the VR Near-Death Experiments

What researchers found after these VR simulations was that participants showed a visible decrease in anxiety and stress when thinking about death.

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Not only this, but many expressed how they view life differently, not taking for granted how they treat family and friends in this life.

The creators of this experiment intend to bring this VR simulation to the vulnerable population: the elderly and terminally ill individuals.

You may think that is just something they thought of after watching It's a Wonderful Life a few too many times, but the phenomenon of changing your perspective of life after a near-death experience is quite real.

It's exciting to think about how modern technology can impact and improve other points of high stress and anxiety in the future!