ReLive: Walking into Virtual Reality Spaces from Video Recordings of One's Past Can Increase the Experiential Detail and Affect of Autobiographical Memories

• Published in: IEEE transactions on visualization and computer graphics Vol. 31; no. 5; pp. 2664 - 2674
• Main Authors: Danry, Valdemar, Villa, Eli, Chan, Samantha, Maes, Pattie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States IEEE 01.05.2025
• Subjects: 3D reconstruction; autobiographical memory; Computational modeling; Extraterrestrial measurements; Image reconstruction; Machine learning; Medical treatment; Neural radiance field; neural radiance fields; Photogrammetry; Solid modeling; spatial videos; Three-dimensional displays; time-travel; Training; Virtual reality
• ISSN: 1077-2626; 1941-0506; 1941-0506
• DOI: 10.1109/TVCG.2025.3549845

With the rapid development of advanced machine learning methods for spatial reconstruction, it becomes important to understand the psychological and emotional impacts of such technologies on autobiographical memories. In a within-subjects study, we found that allowing users to walk through old spaces reconstructed from their videos significantly enhances their sense of traveling into past memories, increases the vividness of those memories, and boosts their emotional intensity compared to simply viewing videos of the same past events. These findings highlight that, regardless of the technological advancements, the immersive experience of VR can profoundly affect memory phenomenology and emotional engagement. As systems enabling immersive memory reconstruction become more ubiquitous, it is crucial to critically examine their effects on human cognition and perception of reality.