The Impact of Contrasting Appearances of Self and Other Avatars on Behavioral Changes

Abstract

Most studies on the Proteus Effect, which explores how avatars influence users’ behavior through evoked changes in self-image, have primarily focused on manipulating only the participants’ self-avatars. Recognizing that self-image often develops through interactions with others in reality, this study aimed to explore the impact of the comparative appearances of self- and others’ avatars on behavioral changes, referring to social comparison theory: individuals evaluate themselves by comparing with perceivedly better or worse others. The experiment involved participants and non-player characters playing the Japanese drum ’Taiko’ within a virtual environment, utilizing avatars dressed in suits or ’Happi’ (a Japanese festival costume). The results revealed that the comparative appearances of self- and others’ avatars influenced participants’ movements during the Taiko performance, similar to the process of social comparison. This findings helps understand the mechanisms of behavioral changes in multi-avatar interactions, and aids in designing metaverse that foster appropriate interactions among users.