Health and Personality Contributions to Cybersickness in Virtual Reality

ObjectiveCybersickness varies substantially across users, even within the same virtual reality (VR) system. This study examined whether physical health, psychological functioning, and personality explain variability in cybersickness severity and tolerance beyond stimulus characteristics and motion sickness susceptibility.BackgroundCybersickness reflects interactions between system (hardware and software) properties and user characteristics. Although motion sickness susceptibility is a known predictor, individual differences including transient and enduring physical, psychological, and personality factors have rarely been examined and never simultaneously.MethodParticipants (N = 252) were exposed to one of five VR games. Cybersickness was assessed using self-reported symptoms (Simulator Sickness Questionnaire; SSQ) and tolerance (time in VR). Hierarchical regression models evaluated whether health, psychological functioning (affective state, psychological distress), and personality predicted outcomes after accounting for game and motion sickness susceptibility.ResultsFatigue was a key determinant of symptom severity. Personality traits were more strongly associated with tolerance: higher agreeableness predicted lower tolerance, whereas higher emotional stability predicted higher tolerance. Motion sickness susceptibility predicted reduced tolerance but showed weaker associations with symptom severity. Women reported higher SSQ scores than men but did not differ in tolerance. Final models explained 27.6\% of variance in SSQ and 23.2\% in tolerance.ConclusionCybersickness reflects multiple influences. Physical state shapes symptom intensity, whereas personality shapes tolerance. Symptom severity and tolerance represent partially distinct aspects of cybersickness.ApplicationUser state (e.g., fatigue), susceptibility, and personality should be considered in the design and deployment of immersive systems to improve tolerability, personalize exposure, and support sustained VR use.