Presence Is Reality: Rethinking Virtual and Real-World Consciousness.

The sense of presence (feeling of 'being there' in a virtual environment) and the sense of reality (ability to distinguish real from unreal) are not separate phenomena but conceptually, mechanistically, and phenomenologically continuous. Cognitive science and VR studies use the terms inconsistently and interchangeably. Presence, like reality, likely arises from integrative mechanisms, supported by converging psychophysical findings in multisensory integration, self-embodiment, and agency. Preliminary neuroimaging suggests a shared frontolimbic substrate for generating 'realness.' This reconceptualization validates VR as a tool for studying the sense of reality and its clinical disorders, and the authors advocate for directly comparing these phenomena in future research.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The sense of presence is typically defined as the feeling of "being there" in a virtual environment, whereas the sense of reality is defined as the ability to discriminate between real and unreal phenomena. We challenge this rigid dichotomy, arguing that presence and reality can be considered conceptually, mechanistically, and phenomenologically continuous. We first demonstrate that both cognitive sciences and virtual reality (VR) studies use the terms inconsistently and interchangeably. We then go on to identify and combine perceptual and cognitivist accounts of presence, arguing that presence, like reality, is likely to be formed from integrative mechanisms. We then go further to identify converging psychophysical findings from the two fields in multisensory integration, self-embodiment, and agency. This is further supported by results from preliminary neuroimaging studies, indicating a shared frontolimbic substrate for generating the feeling of "realness." This reconceptualization has significant implications, including validating the use of VR as a tool for studying the sense of reality and its clinical disorders. We conclude by advocating for directly comparing these phenomena in future research to systematically test for their functional and neural equivalence.