Let Us Sweat It Out in Virtual Reality: The Effects of Virtual Reality Exercise Contexts on Physical Activity Outcomes Through Social Presence and Audience Responses

Synchronous group exercise is not easy due to scheduling difficulties despite its motivating effects on exercise outcomes. Social virtual reality (VR) exercise with software-generated partners (SGPs) (i.e., replay of prerecorded exercise movements of actual other players) can be effective at achieving the illusion of synchronous group exercise in a shared virtual space. Centering around the unique affordance of VR to create this social presence, we examined the serial mediating mechanism of VR group exercise on players' exercise outcomes first through social presence and second through audience responses (enjoyment and appreciation). One hundred forty-eight university students participated in the two-condition (VR exercise context: group vs. solo) between-subject experiment. Players in the VR group exercise condition demonstrated greater levels of physical activity, social presence, enjoyment, and appreciation than did those in the solo exercise condition. In addition to direct effects, we found significant serial mediations of VR group exercise on exercise outcomes. Players in the VR group exercise condition reported greater physical activity first through social presence and then through appreciation. Only appreciation, not enjoyment, mediated these relationships. VR group exercise resulted in direct enjoyment, whereas it also provided reflective appreciation. VR group exercise was shown to be not only enjoyable but also meaningful through different processes. SGPs in VR provided an efficient approach to create a synchronous group exercise and personalized exercise setting and indeed resulted in social presence. Theoretical contributions to social presence and practical implications are discussed.