Why Do I Feel Sick in Virtual Worlds? – Interindividual Differences in Cybersickness in Virtual Realities, Neurophysiological Correlates, and Methods to Manipulate It
With the rapid development of affordable virtual reality (VR) technology, an increasing number of people are immersing themselves in VR and the metaverse. VR is not only used for entertainment purposes, such as gaming, but is also being applied in educational contexts, training, therapy, and the workplace. Apart from providing an immersive and authentic experience, VR interaction can also lead to side effects such as cybersickness, which include symptoms like nausea, headaches, eye strain, and disorientation. Cybersickness is influenced by various factors, including technology-related parameters of the VR system, prior VR experience, as well as age and gender, leading to significant interindividual differences. Consequently, cybersickness can negatively impact the VR experience and performance. In this Hot Topic Talk, I will present our research findings on interindividual differences in cybersickness, its impact on performance measures in VR, and the neurophysiological correlates associated with it. Additionally, I will discuss strategies to mitigate cybersickness in VR, including the use of placebo interventions to enhance human-VR interaction.
Silvia E. Kober
PD Mag. Dr. Silvia E. Kober is a psychologist who focuses her research on developing and evaluating new tools for cognitive training and rehabilitation, including virtual reality, augmented reality, and brain-computer interface technology. Additionally, she has a strong interest in combining these fields, specifically in the development of adaptive VR scenarios that respond to the user’s neurophysiological states. Dr. Kober has been involved in various national and international research projects and currently serves as the principal investigator for two ongoing projects. As the head of the neuroscientific lab PsyLab at the Department of Psychology at the University of Graz, she possesses extensive experience with various neuroscientific methods such as EEG, NIRS, fMRI, and Eye-Tracking. Dr. Kober is highly skilled in designing virtual environments and evaluating and modeling both subjective (e.g., user experience) and objective (e.g., neural responses) indicators of human-VR interactions.