The Effects of Avatar Personalization and Human-Virtual Agent Interactions on Self-Esteem

Extant literature has suggested that VR may be a potential avenue to enhance self-esteem. However, the understanding toward the underlying technological mechanisms and their corresponding effects on the self are still not comprehensive. To address this research gap, the current study designed a series of social interactions in VR where participants (N = 171) embodied either a personalized or non-personalized avatar and had either positive or negative interactions with a virtual agent. Findings showed that participants who embodied a personalized avatar experienced a positive change in self-esteem from pre- to post-simulation, regardless of the virtual agent interaction quality.