Want to feel invisible? Neuroscientists from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have found a way for humans to become invisible using an illusion that apparently affects the stress response of the body during stressful situations in social settings.

During the experiments, participants were asked to wear a pair of virtual reality goggles that showed an empty space replacing their bodies.

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To further enhance the experience of being invisible, researchers used two broad brushes to touch a participant's body in different locations. One brush was invisible and the other was observed by the subject as it brushed away.

In less than a minute, the sensation of touch was transferred from the portion of the empty space where they saw the brush move to the invisible body in the same position.

Prior studies have proven the effect of the single hand illusion but this new study shows that an invisible hand illusion can also be translated into an invisible whole body, according to author of the study, Arvid Guterstam.

The effect of this invisibility reduced the participants' anxiety during social settings compared to when an audience of serious-looking strangers were watching them during another part of the study.

Heart rates and self rated stress levels analyzed during the experiment immediately became lower with the experience of having an invisible body as opposed to the participants seeing their visible bodies.

The results have significant implications that could alter the brain's processes during social impressions, according to the researchers. This feeling of invisibility can develop possible new treatments for social phobia.

During the experiments, researchers create a stabbing motion with a knife in the direction of the empty space visible to the participants. While this was happening, the sweat response of the "invisible" person was elevated even if was just an illusion. The brain immediately reacted to this move as a threat to the participant's body.

Since 125 test subjects were exposed to different variations of invisibility. The team gathered enough information that can lead to treating a patient via an invisible body.

This study was published in the journal Scientific Reports.

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