Investigating Aesthetic Emotions in Virtual and Real Environments
PRIN: PROGETTI DI RICERCA DI RILEVANTE INTERESSE NAZIONALE – Bando 2022 Prot. 2022NWRENN
Finanziato dall’Unione europea – NextGenerationEU – PNRR MUR - CUP: J53D23008210008
Duration: October 2023 - September 2025
Interest in virtual reality (VR) has surged in recent years, driven by advances in software and hardware, lower costs, and increased investments from tech giants. VR applications now span diverse fields—from entertainment and design to healthcare and marketing. However, despite this rapid evolution, research on VR and emotions remains in its infancy. Notably, the distinction between "virtual" and "real" emotional experiences lacks systematic investigation. This knowledge gap poses a significant challenge to the successful and safe implementation of the Metaverse. Understanding virtual emotions and their motivational and behavioral consequences in real life is crucial for designing effective VR applications. As the Metaverse economy emerges, there's a growing need to equip VR researchers and designers with theory-driven, evidence-based guidelines. These guidelines will help create applications that can evoke complex emotional experiences, such as aesthetic emotions, and accurately assess their impact on users.