Warming the Ice: The Role of Social Touch and Physical Warmth on First Impressions in Virtual Reality
Auteurs : Beatrice Biancardi (LINEACT), Matthieu Vigilant (Vision, Action, Cognition), Pierre-Louis Lefour (Vision, Action, Cognition), Mukesh Barange (LINEACT), Laurence Chaby (Vision Action Cognition)
Conférence : Communications avec actes dans un congrès international - 08/03/2025 - The 32nd IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces
First impressions are critical in shaping social interactions, with
perceptions of interpersonal warmth playing a central role in foster-
ing positive judgments. Social touch, such as handshake, conveys
both interpersonal and physical warmth, potentially influencing im-
pressions and social proximity. Using VR and haptic technologies,
we explore how handshake temperature (warm or cold) affects first
impressions, and interpersonal distance, during interactions with
a virtual agent. We aim to discuss the implications for designing
more engaging and realistic human-agent interactions, with a focus
on the role of haptic feedback in fostering positive impressions.