What Is the Relationship Among Positive Emotions, Sense of Presence, and Ease of Interaction in Virtual Reality Systems? An On-Site Evaluation of a Commercial Virtual Experience

Scientific knowledge is still limited about the effect of commercial virtual reality content, such as experiences developed for advertising purposes, on individual emotional experience. In addition, even though correlations between emotional responses and perceived sense of presence in virtual reality have often been reported, the relationship remains unclear. Some studies have suggested an important effect of ease of interaction on both emotions and the sense of presence, but only a few studies have scientifically explored this topic. Within this context, this study aimed to: (a) test the effect of inducing positive emotions of a commercial virtual experience developed for the promotion of an urban renewal project, (b) investigate the relationship between positive emotions and the perceived sense of presence, and (c) explore the association between the ease of interaction of the virtual experience with positive emotions and the sense of presence reported by the users. Sixty-one participants were recruited from visitors to the 2017 Milan Design Week “Fuorisalone” event. A survey was administered before and after the experience to collect information about users' demographics, positive emotions, sense of presence, and the ease of interaction with the virtual content. Results give evidence that: (a) the commercial virtual reality experience was able to induce positive emotions; (b) the positive emotions reported by users were associated with the sense of presence experienced in the virtual environment, with a directional effect from emotion to sense of presence; and (c) the easier the interaction, the more the sense of presence and positive emotions were reported by users.