My avatar makes me feel good? The effects of avatar personalization and virtual human interactions on self-esteem

• Main Authors: Koek, Dominic Wei Jie, Chen, Hsueh-Hua
• Other Authors: Interdisciplinary Graduate School (IGS)
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Social sciences::Mass media::Media effects; Virtual Reality; Human-Computer Interaction; Avatar Embodiment; Virtual Interactions; Well-Being
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/168269; https://www.icahdq.org/mpage/ICA23
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Extant literature has found that poor self-esteem is linked to negative psychological well-being and adverse behavior. While various studies and arguments point to the potential benefits of using Virtual Reality (VR) to enhance self-esteem, the understanding toward the underlying mechanisms and their corresponding effects on self-evaluations is still not comprehensive. To this end, some research has suggested that embodiment of personalized avatars may induce self-related thoughts and self-awareness, which may influence self-esteem. Additionally, the Computers are Social Actors (CASA) paradigm suggests that humans may mindlessly respond to computers in ways that are similar to human interactions. Based on those assertions, it is plausible to assume that embodiment of a personalized avatar and interactions with a virtual human character may influence one’s self-evaluations. However, those effects on self-esteem have not been examined empirically in past studies. To address these research gaps, a 2 (avatar personalization: personalized vs. non-personalized avatar) × 2 (virtual human interaction quality: positive vs. negative) between-subjects experiment was conducted using a VR simulation (N = 171). Findings from the study showed that there were no main effects of avatar personalization and virtual human interaction quality on state self-esteem. However, the post-hoc analyses suggest that participants who embodied a personalized avatar experienced a positive change in state self-esteem from pre- to post-simulation, regardless of the virtual human interaction quality. These findings provide some preliminary indications that avatar personalization enabled through face mapping may enhance self-evaluations, but further research is needed to validate this finding.