VRtual Societies - Virtual Reality at the Ballot Box
A Swiss study found that VR presentations led to more positive votes, regardless of negative framing. VR’s immersiveness can override content, influencing political decisions through experience. Most participants using VR did not detect whether the content was pro or con.
Jul 24, 2025
VRtual Societies - How Virtual Reality Could Dismantle Gender Bias
A recent virtual reality study explored implicit gender bias. In the study, harassment felt real when participants occupied the opposite-gender body Men embodying women showed a reduction in implicit bias.
Jun 16, 2025
VRtual Societies - Can Virtual Reality Stop Bullying in Schools?
A pilot study in U.S. middle schools demonstrated that a VR-enhanced bullying prevention curriculum significantly increased students' empathy and reduced bullying behaviors, fostering a stronger sense of belonging. By allowing students to experience bullying scenarios immersively, VR effectively reduces psychological distance, making the impact of bullying more immediate and personal.
May 19, 2025
VRtual Societies - A Mile in Their Shoes: How VR Can Reduce Homelessness Stigma
A new study reveals that experiencing homelessness through immersive Virtual Reality (VR) significantly reduces negative attitudes and increases willingness to help unhoused individuals, with effects lasting over a week. By allowing participants to feel social exclusion firsthand, VR effectively closes the "empathy gap," offering a powerful tool for promoting compassion and social change.
Apr 22, 2025
VRtual Societies - The Emotional Side of Stereotypes in Virtual Reality
A new study utilized virtual reality (VR) and fMRI to measure real-time brain activity and emotional responses to different social groups, revealing how subconscious stereotypes are triggered by perceived warmth and competence. Findings show that physical proximity to negatively stereotyped outgroup members, even in VR, can evoke discomfort, suggesting VR's potential as a unique tool for studying and possibly reducing prejudice.
Mar 18, 2025
VRtual Societies - Common Cyber Identity: Bridging Divides in Virtual Reality
A new study suggests that common cyber identity, a shared sense of belonging developed within virtual reality (VR) environments, can significantly reduce prejudice. By emphasizing cooperative interactions in VR, real-world social markers fade, fostering unity among avatars and improving attitudes, particularly implicit biases, towards outgroup members.
Feb 19, 2025
VRtual Societies - Reimagining Prejudice Reduction With Virtual Reality
Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly recognized as a powerful tool to combat prejudice across diverse marginalized groups by allowing users to embody or interact with avatars of others. While VR offers unique opportunities to foster empathy and challenge biases, effectively designed experiences are crucial to avoid unintended negative outcomes and ensure lasting positive change.
Dec 16, 2024
VRtual Societies - Breaking Bias With Virtual Reality: A Game-Changing Experiment
A recent study demonstrates virtual reality's (VR) potential to reduce prejudice through intergroup contact, showing that cooperative VR interactions can positively shift explicit attitudes (in Finland) and reduce implicit biases (in Italy) toward minority groups. However, the study also highlights that the effectiveness of VR interventions depends heavily on fostering cooperation, as competitive scenarios had no impact on attitudes.
Dec 16, 2024