Virtual Human Interaction Lab
Our Mission
Since its founding in 2003, researchers at the Virtual Human Interaction Lab (VHIL) have sought to better understand the psychological and behavioral effects of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). VR is finally widely available for consumers, and every day we are seeing new innovations. It is critical, now more than ever, that we seek answers to these important questions: What psychological processes operate when people use VR and AR? How does this medium fundamentally transform people and society? What happens when anyone can have a perfect experience at the touch of a button? And how can we actively seek to create and consume VR that enhances instead of detracts from the real world around us?
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Recent Research
- Wang, P., Santoso, M., Han, E., Srirangarajan, T., & Bailenson, J. (2025). Virtual Placemaking: Self-built environments and revisiting shared memories in virtual reality increase group cohesion. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication (To appear). https://doi.org/10.1093/jcmc/zmaf023
- Santoso, M., Wang, P., Han, E., & Bailenson, J. (2025). Virtual Reality Reduces Climate Indifference by Making Distant Locations Feel Psychologically Close. In Press at Scientific Reports.
- Tao, Y., Ye, L., Bailenson, J., & Follmer, S. (2025). Audio Personas: Augmenting Social Perception via Body-Anchored Audio Cues. In Press at Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction (TOCHI). https://doi.org/10.1145/3762814
- Wang, P., Han, E., Queiroz, A., DeVeaux, C., & Bailenson, J. (2025). Predicting and Understanding Turn-Taking Behavior in Open-Ended Group Activities in Virtual Reality. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 9. https://doi.org/10.1145/3757498
- Queiroz, A., Bailenson, J., Blair, K., Schwartz, D., Thille, C., & Wagner, A. (2025). Self-review and feedback in virtual reality dialogues increase language markers of personal and emotional expression in an empathetic communication training experience. Computers & Education: X Reality, 7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cexr.2025.100108