sixpenceee:

The fake hand trick! During the illusion, a participant’s hand is hidden, and a rubber hand positioned so that it appears as her own. He knows that it’s fake — but when both hands are stroked at the same time the rubber hand literally feels like it belongs to him.

Consciously he knows it’s not true, but that doesn’t matter. Threaten the fake hand, and people under the illusion’s spell respond as if their own hands were threatened.Scientists have now shown that the hidden hand’s temperature drops during the illusion: its effects aren’t simply mental, but physical as well, and could even hint at as-yet-unknown processes of disease. (Source & Source)

More interesting science posts here: sixpenceee.com/tagged/science