What's up with the Rubber Hand Illusion?
Anil K. Seth, Warrick Roseboom, Zoltan Paul Dienes, Peter Lush · 2021
The rubber hand illusion (RHI) is a cornerstone of the scientific literature on embodiment. We have recently published a series of studies investigating the RHI, in particular its relationship to hypnotic (imaginative) suggestibility, and the validity of commonly used control conditions. These studies have generated substantial discussion regarding our claims, how they should be interpreted, and what all this means for past and future experimental studies of embodiment experiences [see, for example, (Makin, Scientific American, 2020)]. To clarify these issues, here we first summarise our main points (there is of course much more in the papers) and then offer responses to some frequently asked questions.