After flirting in virtual reality, people in a relationship tend to refocus on their partner and turn away from the desire to be unfaithful. In any case, this is what a study suggests, the results of which are not unanimous.
“Your relationship is faltering? Go virtual dating…” Sounds like bad publicity for a new dating app. However, this is close to the conclusion of a recent study published in the journal Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology : flirting with a virtual agent would divert a person in a relationship from the temptation to deceive his or her partner. To achieve this result, researchers from Reichman University in Israel tested the impact of virtual reality interaction on a person in a relationship.
They sought to validate (or disprove) their hypothesis that the psychological inoculation theory might work in this context. Like a vaccine immunizes us, this one suggests that exposure to a weaker threat — here, a humanoid in virtual reality — tends to increase alertness to a threat — in this case, another desirable person. Nevertheless, for some, other factors could intervene in the results found.
Three experiments to test fidelity
To test this, three experiments were set up on people in exclusive relationships. Before each, the participants were immersed, with a virtual reality headset, in a bar with a bartender or a bartender of the same gender as their partner. By varying the gestures or the text of the humanoid, the researchers gave it a behavior that was either seductive or neutral. Participants were then exposed to one of the following real-life situations:
- The same interlocutor, deemed attractive on the basis of a questionnaire completed by the participant, asked them a series of questions about their hobbies or their visions of a relationship (for example: is it possible to find love online?). At the end of this exchange, they had to evaluate the physique of this person;
- They had to help a person (also judged attractive from the same questionnaire) to build a pyramid with plastic cubes. After this interaction, they had to note, here too, the physique of the person they had just helped;
- Sitting in front of their partner, they had to discuss their intimate fulfillment. Then, separated in two rooms, had to estimate their desire for their partner and for another person.
Result: depending on whether the person was exposed to a bartender deemed seductive or not, the behavior was different. Those who have been “dragged up” in virtual reality found the person asking them questions less attractive; tended to be less involved in helping; or to estimate higher the desire they have for their partner.
In all cases, after a virtual flirtation, the participants tended to avoid other threats to their couple and to refocus on their partner. ” The study showed that exposure to this low threat from the virtual agent — which incidentally isn’t a threat because it can’t harm the current relationship — allows people in a relationship to prepare deal more effectively with significant real-world threats “, concludes Gurit Birnbaum, professor of psychology and co-author of the study.
Does VR really stimulate guilt?
Results that do not surprise Véronique Kohn, psychologist and author of the book When the fear of losing the other… makes me lose them : ” Here, with this virtual interaction, the researchers stimulated desire. However, in our society where the traditional exclusive couple is the model, this desire for one or the other increases the feeling of guilt. As this could threaten the couple, we will want to put more energy into the relationship. »
” We think that virtual interactions could have the same role as fantasized ones, which help maintain desire in a couple “says Gurit Birnbaum. Stimulate an excitement for another who will be employed towards a “more legitimate” person—the spouse. Although the researcher admits that no study has yet established this parallel between fantasy and virtual interaction.
“No one could confuse this exchange with reality. »
Caroline Gravel, philosophy teacher and author of Virtual love, real love? remains skeptical: why would the feeling of guilt be present when the immersion is far from ideal? The speech is robotic, the graphics unrealistic. ” No one could confuse this exchange with reality. For her, another mechanism is at work and would explain the results: When we are exposed to seductive gestures (on television or in a novel) it can remind us of them and make us want to reproduce them with our partner, which can strengthen the relationship. »
Especially since other aspects can bias the results: the psychologists necessarily exposed the participants to a person (virtual and real) of the same gender as their partner and the experimenter was present in the room during the immersion in virtual reality (which can affect immersion).
“I don’t think it could work”
Knowing these limits, and in view of the evolution of the realism of virtual reality, will we, tomorrow, immerse ourselves in couple therapies in VR? “ People who are very involved in their couple are the most likely to use virtual reality in a constructive way for their couple “says Gurit Birnbaum. Especially since it would not be possible to consider this flirtation as infidelity since the person opposite only exists in lines of code… “ We could be jealous of the time that his or her partner would spend in virtual reality, but it would be strange to talk about infidelity confirms Caroline Gravel.
“I don’t think it could work “, leans on her side Véronique Kohn. ” Already, it might make you laugh, but in addition, you wouldn’t have any guilt if it’s allowed, so no fear of losing the other and the desire to reinvest your couple. »
The study seems, in any case, to show that virtual interactions can have repercussions on reality. “This suggests that a virtual relationship is not a substitute for a relationship with a human being. “, concludes for her part Caroline Gravel. We prefer the company of his or her partner to that of a robot, and fortunately.
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