The Effects of Avatar Human-Likeness on Psychological Closeness in Virtual-Reality

This research explores the impact of avatar human‐likeness on psychological closeness and its downstream consequences in virtual‐reality work and learning environments. Study 1 suggests that people feel greater psychological closeness to more (vs. less) humanlike avatars. Study 2 applies machine learning to virtual‐reality recordings and shows that people physically move closer to more (vs. less) humanlike avatars. Study 3 extends these findings by showing that avatar human‐likeness positively influences attitudes toward adopting virtual‐reality in education. Finally, Study 4 shows that enhanced psychological closeness to humanlike avatars promotes trust in instructors, leading to more favorable attitudes toward virtual experience. Two additional studies that conceptually replicate the main findings are reported in the Supporting Information. Results are consistent between hypothetical scenarios and real virtual‐reality experiences, controlled experiments using within‐ and between‐subjects designs, and self‐reported measures of closeness and actual physical closeness. These findings provide implications for designing effective virtual‐reality experiences in education and corporate settings, emphasizing the importance of humanlike avatars in fostering closeness and enhancing user experiences.