Who Benefits from Virtual Embodiment? Trait Empathy and the Reduction of Intergroup Bias in Empathy

Abstract While virtual embodiment is recognized as a promising tool for reducing ingroup bias, few studies have examined the individual differences that influence its effectiveness. This gap is especially relevant for empathy research, as virtual embodiment is often assumed to promote perspective-taking and sensorimotor resonance, while empathy can be biased toward ingroup members. We examined whether trait empathy moderates the effects of racialized outgroup embodiment on neural empathic responses to others’ pain. A sample of 58 White adults underwent electroencephalography (EEG) recording while embodied in virtual bodies representing different ethnic backgrounds (White, Black) and observing avatars with different skin colors (White, Black, Violet) receiving painful treatment. When participants embodied a White virtual body, higher trait empathy was associated with stronger ingroup-biased neural resonance to White agents’ pain, particularly among individuals high in affective empathy. By contrast, when participants embodied a Black virtual body, higher trait empathy was associated with diminished ingroup bias in neural empathic responses. These findings suggest that trait empathy does not uniformly reduce intergroup bias, but can alter biased empathic resonance depending on the embodied body. The study advances embodiment and empathy research by showing how immersive bodily experience and individual dispositions shape neural responses to outgroup suffering.