Streaming to Connect: Exploring How Social Connectedness Relates to Empathy Types and Physiological States in Remote...

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Social Neuroscience
• Psychophysiology

Background:

• Understanding social experiences in remote virtual contexts is crucial for modern human-computer interaction.
• Mediated connections in virtual environments raise questions about their impact on emotional and physiological states.
• The vagus nerve, central to socioemotional processing, influences physiological well-being via vagally mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between social connectedness to virtual partners and socioemotional competences.
• To examine the association between social connectedness and psychophysiological states during virtual interactions.
• To determine how feelings of connectedness influence empathy and physiological responses in streamed gameplay observation.

Main Methods:

• An experimental study involving 48 participants observing streamed gameplay.
• Measurement of self-reported empathy and empathic concern.
• Continuous measurement of vagally mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV) using a PPG sensor.

Main Results:

• Participants reporting higher social connectedness also reported greater empathic concern.
• Significantly heightened vmHRV was observed in viewers with greater social connectedness across all conditions.
• A positive correlation was found between social connectedness and both empathic concern and vmHRV.

Conclusions:

• Stronger feelings of social connectedness to remote virtual partners are linked to enhanced socioemotional competences.
• Increased social connectedness is associated with improved physiological well-being, indicated by heightened vmHRV.
• Findings underscore the interconnectedness of social connection, empathy, and physiological health in virtual environments.