The appeal of virtual chocolate: A systematic comparison of psychological and physiological food cue responses to virtual and real food

However, it is not yet known whether food cue responses (FCRs) are similar in VR as in real life, which creates uncertainty about the effectiveness of these interventions. Furthermore, the role of hunger in relation to FCRs is still unclear, both in real life and in VR.

Therefore, this study explores to what extent exposure to food cues in VR and real life elicit similar psychological (i.e., craving) and physiological (i.e., salivation) FCRs, and whether this differs between hungry and satiated conditions. The study employed a 2 (stimulus type: food vs. non-food) × 2 (exposure mode: VR vs. real life) × 2 (hunger state: hungry vs. satiated) within-subjects design (N = 54). Exposure to food led to stronger cravings than exposure to non-food, both in VR and real life, albeit weaker in VR.