Influence of Self-Avatar Impressions on Agreeableness in Virtual Reality

Virtual environment technology enables users to create and embody avatars that differ from their real-life appearances. The "Proteus effect" refers to how an avatar’s appearance can shape a user’s cognition and behavior. This study explores how users’ impressions of avatars with different visual characteristics influence their levels of agreeableness, with the broader aim of supporting skill development for daily tasks and social interaction. In the experiment, Priest and Warrior avatars were used in a prisoner’s dilemma task to assess the relationship between avatar impressions and agreeableness. While significant differences in perceived agreeableness and extroversion were found based on avatar appearance, no significant effects were observed in actual task behavior. Future research should enhance the experimental design by incorporating outcome-based rewards to better capture behavioral effects.