Beyond Reality: Transforming Time Perception and Environmental Attitudes through Virtual Reality
(A2024-119683)

AUTHORS

Tobias Regensburger, LMU Munich

ABSTRACT

Virtual Reality (VR) enables consumers to experience virtual environments that do not exist in the real world. This characteristic, however, not only allows enhanced consumer experiences but also enables technology to play an essential role in promoting pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors. This study reports on a field experiment with 353 participants and investigates the effectiveness of positive immersive VR to impact attitudes toward the environment. This relationship is theorized to be mediated by implicitly induced changes in individual time perspectives. The findings show that VR priming is associated with a decrease in consideration of immediate consequences, which also decreases attitudes toward the utilization of the environment. Theoretical and practical implications are derived, and ideas for future research are suggested.