Abstract
As virtual reality applications expand across educational, social, and professional domains, understanding how cultural factors influence user comfort in virtual environments becomes increasingly important. This study examines the impact of cultural background, gender, avatar appearance, and avatar animation on personal space preferences in virtual reality environments. We conducted a cross-cultural experiment involving 57 participants from Japan (25 international students) and Thailand (32 Thai students), who interacted with three avatar types (Man, Woman, Robot) performing various animations. Participant responses were measured through discomfort ratings and heart rate variability (HRV) monitoring, capturing both subjective and physiological reactions to virtual proximity violations. Results demonstrated significant effects of avatar appearance and animation on discomfort levels, with the Man avatar and both-hand facial contact producing the highest discomfort ratings. Clear cultural and gender differences emerged from the data. Thai participants consistently felt more uncomfortable than non-Thai participants across all virtual interactions. Similarly, female participants were more sensitive to personal space violations than male participants. Physiological measurements revealed interesting cultural patterns: Thai participants maintained elevated stress responses throughout the virtual encounters, whereas non-Thai participants exhibited brief stress spikes that rapidly returned to normal levels. These findings suggest that cultural norms regarding personal space persist in virtual environments and manifest in both conscious ratings and unconscious physiological responses. The results have practical implications for designing culturally sensitive virtual reality applications, particularly as VR becomes more prevalent in global educational and collaborative contexts. Understanding these cultural variations is crucial for creating inclusive virtual environments that cater to diverse user populations.
