A psychosocial investigation of exercise preferences in real and virtual environments

Three studies explored exercise preferences in real-world and virtual environments, and their relationship with social physique anxiety (SPA), social comparison, and self-presentational efficacy (SPE). In Study 1 (N = 230), real-world exercise preferences were explored. Study 2 (N = 228) measured preferences for real-world and virtual reality (VR) exercise, and Study 3 (N = 249) investigated preferences for avatar embodiment and virtual companions within VR. Results revealed that participants who preferred home-based exercise had lower exercise behaviour, more negative fitness-related social comparisons, or lower SPE expectancy and outcome value (Study 1). Individuals with lower exercise behaviour, more negative fitness-related social comparisons, lower SPE expectancy, or higher SPA were also more likely to choose VR than real-world exercise (Study 2). In a VR exercise setting, participants with higher SPA and more negative social comparisons also preferred to embody a nonhuman and fantasy avatar more than a realistic avatar. A heightened threat of negative social comparison when imagining exercise with a physically superior virtual companion resulted in the strongest preference to embody a fantasy avatar (Study 3). The results suggest that individuals who place high importance on selfpresentation and have low belief in their capacity to project an image of competence to others, are more likely to prefer exercise contexts that minimise physique- and fitness-related evaluation. Moreover, VR may afford a less psychosocially threatening context for individuals who feel self-conscious or comparatively inferior to others during exercise.

Automated summary

These three studies examined exercise preferences in real-world and virtual environments and their relationship with social physique anxiety, social comparison, and self-presentational efficacy. The results showed that individuals who preferred exercising at home tended to have lower exercise behavior and more negative fitness-related social comparisons. Those with lower exercise behavior, negative social comparisons, lower self-presentational efficacy, or higher social physique anxiety were more likely to choose virtual reality exercise over real-world exercise. In a virtual reality exercise setting, individuals with higher social physique anxiety and more negative social comparisons preferred embodying a nonhuman and fantasy avatar. The findings suggest that individuals who value self-presentation and have low belief in their competence to project a positive image are more likely to prefer exercise contexts that minimize physique and fitness evaluations. Additionally, virtual reality may offer a less threatening environment for individuals who feel self-conscious or inferior during exercise.