Licensing Effect of Pro-Environmental Behavior in Metaverse
Hyungrok Jin, Jaehee Hwang, Bingqin Luo, Taeyeon Kim, Yongjun Sung
Abstract
The Metaverse is an important virtual venue in people's daily lives. This study examined whether pro-environmental behaviors in the Metaverse with a self-customized avatar lead to licensing effects, thereby reducing pro-environmental intention in reality. In addition, the study examined the mediating effect of self-presence on the relationship between avatar customization and pro-environmental behavior. A laboratory experiment was conducted using ZEPETO, a Metaverse platform. A total of 60 participants were randomly assigned to the self-customized avatar condition or the assigned avatar condition, and they engaged in pro-environmental behaviors on the Metaverse platform. Participants with self-customized avatars had less intention to engage in pro-environmental behavior in reality after engaging in pro-environmental behavior in the Metaverse than those with assigned avatars. Furthermore, self-presence partially mediated the relationship between avatar customization and pro-environmental intention.