A paper introducing the concept of romantic anthropomorphism has been published an international team of researcher. It involves giving a non-human agent human-like characteristics in a romantic context.Their work helps to improve researchers’ understanding of virtual romance. While previous psychological research has examined how human needs can be met by anthropomorphized agents, this research is the first to examine virtual romantic relationships. The research was published in the journal British Journal of Social Psychology.
“Most romantic relationship research has been focused on human-human social domains, and most previous anthropomorphism research has concentrated on platonic anthropomorphism. Our research helps to cultivate a new field bridging the gap between anthropomorphism and relationship science,” said Mayu Koike, an assistant professor in the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hiroshima University.
Virtual agents are playing a more vital role in our modern world. A virtual agent, also called a virtual rep or chatbot, is a software application that uses natural language processing and scripted answers to provide support to humans online. Typically, virtual agents replace human labor, but as these agents become more complex, they are being used in other ways.People’s romantic lives are an important social domain where virtual agents have a growing involvement. The human need to love and be loved is universal. For most of human history, this meant another person – someone to love and love back. But today, it is possible for a virtual agent to fulfill this need.
Romantic video games contain virtual characters who are increasingly interactive and responsive. These games, that provide millions of people with the opportunity to pursue, nurture and enjoy a romantic relationship with a virtual agent, are growing in popularity. Despite the rapid growth in popularity of these games, researchers had not yet systematically investigated these virtual romances.As virtual agents become more complex and interactive, humans may come to view them as essentially like other humans. If so, then relationships with these virtual agents might feel real and authentic, leading humans to experience positive emotions and have a desire to continue the relationship.
