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Study of men who embodied a young woman in VR finds they felt disgust & anger when catcalled (thelemmy.club)
submitted 8 months ago by to c/science@hexbear.net
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https://phys.org/news/2025-12-men-embodying-women-vr-strong.html

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-19418-4

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[–] 20 points 8 months ago* (2 children)

this study sounds a bit rediculous to be honest

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  • [–] 65 points 8 months ago (1 child)

    It's not ridiculous. There is a whole phenomenon where players behave differently in online games depending on the personality and social expectations others will have of the character they are playing as. If your character is expected to be a dick players act more like a dick, whereas if your character is expected to be nice players act more nicely. This occurs with the same players playing on different characters. This is called the "Proteus Effect" if you want to look into it more deeply.

    Given that occurs I don't find it difficult to think that people would get into the role and atmosphere even more when doing it in VR.

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  • [–] 18 points 8 months ago (3 children)

    Okay but like what if I'm support and my carry insists on tower diving at level 2 against 4 champs with hard CC?

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  • [–] 34 points 8 months ago (4 children)

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  • [–] 19 points 8 months ago*

    My MMO career was more like

    you think I’m your mother but guess what I’m GOD if you live it is by my grace if you die it is by my design. fear is not what you owe me you owe me AWE

    I didn’t get along with many people

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  • [–] 41 points 8 months ago (1 child)

    The actual study is interesting as part of a larger series of tests to demonstrate if VR can be used as a reliable clinical and therapeutic tool

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  • [–] 11 points 8 months ago (1 child)

    Does it say how that went? My vibe is that VR would in the long term foster a sense of isolation in the user.

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  • [–] 6 points 8 months ago*

    I think it's too quick of an experience to feel isolation. They do a survey, put on the set and do a scene where they can see a mirror where they are a 'woman' then they are put on a train platform to wait for a train to arrive, get on the train. Then take off the set, and do an exit survey.

    In conjunction with a therapist I can imagine it being useful in some exposure therapies, but an unfortunate amount of the phrasing in the paper makes me think they're trying to pitch this as 'solo AI VR therapy is possible.'

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