The rubber hand illusion increases histamine reactivity in the real arm

Brower and others have argued that the evolution of mankind might have come to a halt without optimistic illusions. With the emergence of conscious foresight (the ability to imagine one’s future) came the devastating understanding that old age, sickness, decline of mental power, and oblivion await. Varki and Brower reason that this awareness on its own would have interfered with our daily function, bringing the activities needed for survival to a stop. However, if conscious foresight evolved alongside optimistic illusions, it would not have become an evolutionary psychological barrier.