Virtual vs. real body in exergames: Reducing social physique anxiety in exercise experiences

The study uses an exergame for exercise interventions through the use of avatars.Individuals with body image dissatisfaction are benefitted from exergame play.Individuals' social physique anxiety is being reduced during exergame play.Presence mediates the relationship between exercise context and exergame experiences. Research indicates that people with body image dissatisfaction (BID) are not benefited from exercising in group contexts. The current study tested whether exercise video games (exergames) can provide unique opportunities for exercise interventions through the use of avatars. An experiment was conducted using a 2 (BID: High vs. Low)×2 (Exercise context: Solitary vs. Group) between-subjects design. Results demonstrated that individuals with high BID reported similar or more favorable exergame experiences compared to individuals with low BID. Further, individuals' social physique anxiety was significantly reduced during exergame play. Self-presence mediated the relationship between exercise context and exergame experiences.

[1]  Jeremy N. Bailenson,et al.  Facial Similarity Between Voters and Candidates Causes Influence , 2008 .

[2]  Béatrice S. Hasler,et al.  Exploring Self-Presence in Collaborative Virtual Teams , 2010, PsychNology J..

[3]  V. Groom,et al.  The influence of racial embodiment on racial bias in immersive virtual environments , 2009 .

[4]  L. Skitka,et al.  Status quo framing increases support for torture , 2009 .

[5]  E. McAuley,et al.  The mirror does not lie: Acute exercise and self-efficacy , 2001 .

[6]  Kelly E. Tenzek,et al.  Intrinsic Motivation in Exergames: Competition, Competitiveness, and the Conditional Indirect Effect of Presence (TOP 2 Faculty Paper) , 2010 .

[7]  The relationship between social physique anxiety and physical activity , 1993 .

[8]  Hayeon Song,et al.  Promoting Exercise Self-Efficacy With an Exergame , 2011, Journal of health communication.

[9]  Jeremy N. Bailenson,et al.  Virtual Experiences, Physical Behaviors: The Effect of Presence on Imitation of an Eating Avatar , 2009, PRESENCE: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments.

[10]  Andrew J. Flanagin,et al.  A self-awareness approach to computer-mediated communication , 2006, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[11]  J. Polivy,et al.  Development and validation of a multidimensional eating disorder inventory for anorexia nervosa and bulimia. , 1983 .

[12]  B. Ainsworth,et al.  Body Size Satisfaction and Physical Activity Levels Among Men and Women , 2008, Obesity.

[13]  Kristopher J Preacher,et al.  SPSS and SAS procedures for estimating indirect effects in simple mediation models , 2004, Behavior research methods, instruments, & computers : a journal of the Psychonomic Society, Inc.

[14]  Kathleen A Martin Ginis,et al.  To see or not to see: effects of exercising in mirrored environments on sedentary women's feeling states and self-efficacy. , 2003, Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association.

[15]  K. James.  “You Can Feel Them Looking at You”: The Experiences of Adolescent Girls at Swimming Pools , 2000 .

[16]  J. Bailenson,et al.  The Proteus Effect: The Effect of Transformed Self-Representation on Behavior , 2007 .

[17]  W. Rejeski.  Dose–response issues from a psychosocial perspective. , 1994 .

[18]  Namkee Park,et al.  Parasocial Interaction with My Avatar: Effects of Interdependent Self-Construal and the Mediating Role of Self-Presence in an Avatar-Based Console Game, Wii , 2009, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[19]  Seung-A. Annie Jin,et al.  Modality Effects in Second Life: The Mediating Role of Social Presence and the Moderating Role of Product Involvement , 2009, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[20]  Kelly A. Lyons,et al.  On the Relationship between My Avatar and Myself , 2008 .

[21]  J. Bailenson,et al.  Virtual Self-Modeling: The Effects of Vicarious Reinforcement and Identification on Exercise Behaviors , 2009 .

[22]  Edward McAuley,et al.  Exercise environment, self-efficacy, and affective responses to acute exercise in older adults , 2000 .

[23]  Christoph Klimmt,et al.  Experimental Evidence for Suspense as Determinant of Video Game Enjoyment , 2009, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[24]  B. Fernhall,et al.  Evaluation of the Energy Cost of Playing a Dance Simulation Video Game in Overweight and Non-Overweight Children and Adolescents , 2005, International journal of sports medicine.

[25]  Jeremy N. Bailenson,et al.  The Proteus Effect , 2009, Commun. Res..

[26]  N. Owen,et al.  Obesity as a barrier to physical activity , 2000 .

[27]  H. Hausenblas,et al.  Self-Presentation and Exercise , 2004 .

[28]  W. M. Sherman,et al.  International Journal of Sports Medicine - 10 Issues per Annum! , 2005 .

[29]  K. Spink.  Relation of Anxiety about Social Physique to Location of Participation in Physical Activity , 1992, Perceptual and motor skills.