Virtual reality and embodied experience induce similar levels of empathy change: Experimental evidence

Abstract

The theory of psychological proximity implies that individuals should empathize with others more the closer their own experience is to that of the target group. Recent technological developments, namely virtual reality (VR), may help expand our ability to empathize with others by increasing perceived closeness. While some researchers find that virtual reality can elicit empathy, others find mixed results. Building on this previous research, we ask: is virtual reality more effective at eliciting empathy than other empathy-inducing activities, specifically an ‘embodied’ experience? An embodied experience attempts to recreate the experience of the target group to bring the participant closer to the lived experience of the target. To do this, we use an experimental design to compare different activities hypothesized to increase empathy towards a psychically distant group: 1). a virtual reality experience (being virtually present with a woman who must carry water from a distant source to provide for her family), and 2). an embodied experience (carrying water jugs for 10 ​min). Our main findings indicate that both treatments were effective at eliciting attitude change for both water issues and for gendered water issues. VR was not appreciably better at eliciting empathy or donations compared to an embodied experience.