Deliberate regulation of diaphragmatic breathing can contribute to well-being. We present a targeted-heat wearable designed to direct attention inward during breathing practice. In a mixed-methods study, breathing was guided with a pulsing-heat or a screen-based app. We included physiological measures of heart-rate, HRV, and breathing pace; self-report questionnaires on interoception and mindfulness; and qualitative interviews. Results show both groups adhered well to the breathing guidance, yet heat-condition participants reached lower heart-rate and reduced sympathetic activation, physiological markers associated with stress reduction. They also reported higher interoceptive awareness, specifically self-regulation and body-listening abilities, alongside significantly higher state mindfulness. Qualitative findings revealed that targeted-heat fostered a stronger connection with bodily sensations and emotions, while visual feedback was often experienced as pulling attention outward. Our work suggests that breathing with the heat wearable increases the known positive outcomes of diaphragmatic breathing, helping people connect more deeply with their bodies by directing attention inward.

an evaluation of Inceptor in a project focused on resilience training in mental health contexts.Using the automated pipeline allowed us to generate 32 VR episodes in a very short time, spanning more than two hours of carefully designed content.Additionally, we assessed the feasibility of using large language models (LLMs) to autonomously select appropriate animations.The content is now being used for training diverse professional groups in mental health.Encouraged by positive feedback and early evidence of its utility, Inceptor will be released as an open-source project, poised for widespread adoption and community-driven enhancements.

Mindfulness meditation has vast benefits, yet is challenging for many. We designed a novel targeted warmth somaesthetic wearable and evaluated how the thermal sensation is perceived during meditation. In a qualitative study, twenty participants explored the wearable during meditation. Findings reveal participants’ rich experiences, sensations, and feelings. They perceived the technology as an appropriate tool for self-exploration. Even when participants initially felt the wearable was distracting their meditation process, they easily learned how to leverage it in their introspection process. We report on four potential roles for warmth technology: functional (pulling focal of attention), behavioral (motivating to "get back to the practice"), emotional (comforting during the lonely process), and therapeutic feelings. We conclude with design guidelines, highlighting that warmth is a promising technology for meditation if designed to encourage self-exploration of body sensations and emotions while not compromising the natural meditation practice.

Sexual harassment (SH) training is a major public health priority, and available programs show limited efficacy. We present a new application for virtual agents in virtual reality (VR), which has the potential to deliver SH training that imitates real world scenarios and is yet safe. We conducted a proof-of-concept study to examine whether a VR simulation of a job interview during which the interviewer, a semi-automated virtual agent, sexually harasses the interviewee is an effective practice tool for women, and could serve as the basis for developing skills for effective response. Five females (24-25 years old) participated in this VR scenario and were then interviewed about their reactions to the VR scenario and the virtual agent. Four main themes emerged: paralysis and fear, uncertainty how to respond, resurfacing of previous SH experiences, and VR as an effective training tool for preventing SH. Findings suggest that contemporary virtual agents in VR can induce the sense of being harassed, similar to real humans. VR offers a safe exposure for SH and may serve as a learning platform to empower women in considering and practicing more effective responses to future SH experiences.

Interactions with virtual agents may have psychological and behavioral implications, even if the participants know that they are interacting with a virtual entity. As virtual agents are gradually becoming part of human society, it is important to understand the extent to which virtual encounters can affect our daily lives, and whether engaging in a specific behavior with virtual humans affects the way that individuals perceive and asses real humans in their surroundings. We examined the effect that seductive interplays might have on individuals in committed relationships and their way of managing a virtual threat to their relationship. One hundred and thirty heterosexual participants conversed with an opposite-sex virtual human in a virtual reality (VR) setup in either a seductive or neutral way. Shortly after, participants were interviewed by an attractive opposite-sex confederate. Results revealed that participants in the seductive condition felt increased feelings of guilt, and that participants in the seductive condition were more prone to devaluate the sexual and intellectual attractiveness of the confederate than participants in the neutral condition. This study thus demonstrates, for the first time, that flirting with a virtual human may influence real-life attitudes towards real people.