Experiencing waiting time in virtual reality

Abstract

This article investigates the impact of waiting in Virtual Reality (VR) on the perception of time. We manipulated the visual quality of a virtual room replicating a real one (360-picture vs. 3D-model) with and without avatar embodiment (no-avatar vs. avatar). We only observed a significant difference in the estimated time duration between the real and the virtual worlds when using no avatar within a 3D model of the room. Our early results suggest that a VR environment with an avatar and a simple 3D model or 360 picture room is not significantly perturbing time perception and thus could be used for diagnosis and therapy of psychiatric conditions related to altered time perception.