Emotion in Motion: Experiment on Affective Responses to Virtual Realities

The rise of metaverse platforms pave the path for a future where many human activities will be conducted in a virtual reality (VR). Therefore, it is necessary to investigate whether and how users emotionally respond to fully digitalized realities when conducting daily activities. In this study, we focus on two core features: immersion and sense of embodiment through self-motion. We conduct a large-scale experiment to examine the effects of virtual realities on emotional traits (PANAS). We use high (VR head-mounted-display) and low (PC monitor) immersive environments, as well as different levels of self-motion (high/low), compared to a 2D control. Students (N=183) were randomly assigned in one of 5 virtual conditions to complete a daily non-emotionally charged task. Two analyses were conducted based on the same experiment. The findings indicate that immersion and embodiment are not direct emotional elicitors on their own, and affect valence and arousal are likely content related.