Can Avatar Appearance Influence Physical Activity? User-Avatar Similarity and Proteus Effects on Cardiac Frequency and Step Counts

This study combined user-avatar similarity and Proteus effect predictions to incentivize physical activity. 305 participants ran while wearing accelerometers and a heart rate monitor. They were randomly assigned to onscreen motion-capturing avatars displaying either participant or stranger faces dressed in sports or formal clothes. Participants assigned to avatars displaying their own face showed increased cardiac frequency compared with those exposed to avatars with a stranger's face. Relative to the remaining conditions, participants assigned to avatars with their own face also wearing sports clothes showed increased cardiac frequency but participants assigned to avatars with a stranger's face wearing formal clothes showed decreased cardiac frequency. The results imply that user-avatar similarity and the Proteus effect can be harnessed to influence physical activity.

Automated summary

This study combines user-avatar similarity and Proteus effect predictions to incentivize physical activity. The results show that when participants' avatars are similar to themselves or when the avatars are wearing sports clothes, the participants' cardiac frequency increases, indicating that user-avatar similarity and the Proteus effect can be harnessed to influence physical activity.