Training Industry Magazine - Spring 2023 - 61

SCIENCE OF
LEARNING
SRINI PILLAY,
M.D.
THE METAVERSE FOR WELL-BEING
IN THE WORKPLACE
Are you one of those people who has
been ignoring the metaverse because
it sounds like some trendy technology
that has no relevance to you? Well, I'm
writing this article to compel you to open
your mind to the metaverse movement,
because it's happening. It's time to stop
dabbling and get serious about virtual
reality (VR) and metaverse-based
learning, and to follow the examples
of companies like Bank of America,
Takeda, Novartis and Bristol Myers
Squibb, who have strategic plans and
serious budget commitments to scale
VR across the enterprise.
and that they need to make changes, but
they either have no time for it, don't know
where to start or struggle to make it a
habit. The metaverse offers an opportunity
for learning and development (L&D) to
facilitate self-care.
WHY IS THE METAVERSE UNIQUELY
SUITED TO WELL-BEING?
THE METAVERSE
OFFERS AN
OPPORTUNITY FOR
L&D TO FACILITATE
SELF-CARE.
WHAT IS THE CONNECTION BETWEEN
LEARNING AND WELL-BEING?
While you may be familiar with learning
in the metaverse or VR, you may be
wondering what this has to do with wellbeing.
Apart from stress and anxiety
reduction improving learning by opening
the brain to new information, there's
a new kind of learning that will be
fundamental to your organization, and it's
called reskilling for well-being.
When I work with organizations, most
people know that
they're burned out
In the metaverse, you appear as an
avatar. Unlike current VR experiences, the
metaverse can be a social environment
that enhances connections and reduces
loneliness. Social isolation is not only
emotionally challenging, but it can
increase the risk of plaques in your carotid
arteries and increase the chances of
death from a heart attack or stroke. The
metaverse can help to prevent this.
I experienced firsthand how powerful
it can be to choose your avatar. In
general, people think of the " self " as
fixed, but adopting the identity of an
avatar may increase empathy and
agency and this may also change the
way in which people make decisions or
exercise their creativity. In fact, people
may make decisions that run counter to
their own. This may also promote selfexpression
which can impact mortality
by decreasing the risk of cancer or heart
disease. Avatars can be anonymous
and attend voluntary group seminars
on well-being or mental health without
being recognized.
Also, prior studies have demonstrated
that choosing an ideal avatar can
increase physical activity in people
who are overweight.
In the metaverse, experiences of awe
may
in
engage five processes-shifts
neurophysiology:
a diminished
focus on the self, increased prosocial
relationality, greater social integration
and a heightened sense of meaningthat
benefit well-being. Awe is a
complex and transformative emotion
that has been hypothesized to be an
intervention for depression. Awe can
also induce a form of mindfulness that
enhances well-being. The metaverse
is an ideal context in which awe can
be induced through experiences of art
that sweep people off their feet.
One of the remarkable features of the
metaverse is that your capabilities are
not limited as they are in the material
world. As a result, you can float, levitate,
and experience non-ordinary states of
consciousness.
If non-ordinary states
of consciousness like mindfulness or
transcendental meditation can protect
your genes or reduce inflammation,
the metaverse could also offer this
promising opportunity for study.
Health and well-being in the metaverse
is anything but science fiction. It is a
unique context in which learning selfcare
and mental and physical wellbeing
can be enhanced.
Dr. Srini Pillay is the CEO
of NeuroBusiness Group. He is a
Harvard trained psychiatrist and
neuroscientist, on the Consortium
for Learning Innovation at McKinsey
& Company, and author of " Tinker
Dabble Doodle Try. " Srini is also cofounder,
chief medical officer and chief
learning officer of Reulay. Email Srini.
TRAINING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE - SPRING 2023 I WWW.TRAININGINDUSTRY.COM/MAGAZINE
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Training Industry Magazine - Spring 2023

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