Persistence and pleasure in VR: Enhancing Exercise Endurance and Enjoyment through Virtual Environments

Virtual Reality (VR) provides an enjoyable addition to stationary physical exercise and can improve performance while exercising. The aim of this study is to explore the effectiveness of three interactive virtual environments (i.e., social, relaxing, stressful) on enjoyment and persistence during strength-based exercises. In a within-subjects experiment, 97 healthy young adults completed four consecutive sets of two strength-based exercises. Participants completed one set as baseline and then each participant completed three more sets in three different interactive environments, experienced through a VR headset. Results showed that both the stressful virtual environment, where participants were hanging suspended over a city, and the social virtual environment where participants were audibly encouraged in a stadium, increased participants’ persistence in both exercises, when compared to the relaxing virtual environment. Specifically, the relaxing sunny beach environment caused poorer performances in a dead hang exercise among men (n = 30), and poorer performances in a core exercise among women (n = 66). Somewhat paradoxically, this relaxing virtual beach environment was considered the most enjoyable environment among both male and female participants. The potential of VR in exercise lies in its ability to provide pleasurable and performance-enhancing immersive environments that may be too expensive or dangerous in reality

Play or pay to win: Loot boxes and gaming disorder in FIFA ultimate team

The aim of this study was to examine the relevant characteristics and motivations of 1144 international players of FIFA Ultimate Team for spending money on player packs (i.e., loot boxes). Loot boxes have been compared to gambling mechanics as they may both reinforce problematic behavior. Results showed employment status and sensitivity for rewards predicted spending on loot boxes, and that this behavior was motivated by the need for competence, autonomy and relatedness. Severity of gaming disorder also positively predicted spending behavior, both directly and indirectly through players’ need for autonomy. Although time spent playing was the strongest predictor of in-game success, the amount of money spent on loot boxes also improved players’ in-game ranking. Combined, gaming disorder and the perceived benefits to players’ ranking, competence, autonomy and relatedness contribute to the financial success of this monetization mechanic

Measuring Media Multitasking. Development of a Short Measure of Media Multitasking for Adolescents

Multivariate analysis of psychological dat