In two key studies, several conclusions were made. The first being that both the height and attractiveness of an avatar in an online game were significant predictors of the player’s performance. In the second study, behavioral changes stemming from the virtual environment transferred to real-life interactions.
Participants were placed in an immersive virtual environment and were given either shorter or taller avatars. They then interacted with someone else for about 15 minutes. In addition to causing a behavioral difference within the virtual environment, participants given taller avatars negotiated more aggressively in subsequent face-to-face interactions than participants given shorter avatars.
Together, these two studies show that our virtual bodies can change how we interact with others in actual avatar-based online communities as well as in subsequent face-to-face interactions
About Author