Get Real With Me: Effects of Avatar Realism on Social Presence and Comfort in Augmented Reality Remote Collaboration and Self-Disclosure

Augmented reality (AR) is poised to transform remote communication with realistic user representations authentically simulating in-person interactions in one’s own environment. While increased avatar realism is beneficial in various social contexts, as it generally fosters social presence, its impact in intimate interactions is less clear, possibly creating discomfort. We explored how varying avatar realism affects social presence and comfort in AR across different social interactions. Realism preferences were established in an online survey (N=157), informing our subsequent experiment (N=42). Participants engaged in remote AR collaboration and self-disclosure tasks with avatars ranging from abstract to realistic point-cloud. Quantitative and qualitative feedback revealed that higher avatar realism generally enhances social presence and comfort, though preferences can vary. The self-disclosure task increased social presence but reduced comfort compared to the collaboration task. This research provides an empirical analysis of avatar realism, highlighting the benefits of realistic avatars in various scenarios.