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WhitepaperUniversity of Central Florida3 Nov 2026

Effects of Virtual Clothing and Naturalistic Virtual Environments on Temperature Perception and Thermoregulation

Key insights

7 takeaways

01
Virtual environments and avatar clothing are the primary drivers of thermal perception in VR, with snow-themed environments shifting thermal comfort ratings by -5.04 on the Bedford Thermal Scale.See it on page 13
02
Participants in VR consistently reported significantly higher thermal sensations in beach environments (62.6) compared to arctic environments (47.3), regardless of physical room temperature.See it on page 32
03
Avatar clothing significantly modulates physiological responses; wearing winter clothing in an arctic environment causes a measurable decline in skin temperature compared to wearing summer clothing.See it on page 20
04
Visual cues create a 'top-down' cognitive effect where the congruency between an avatar's clothing and the virtual environment influences a player's actual thermoregulation.See it on page 22
05
Secondary factors such as skin tone and body shape influence thermal comfort, with darker skin tones increasing perceived warmth and slimmer body shapes decreasing it.See it on page 8
06
Gender impacts thermal perception, as male participants reported warmer sensations than female participants, and winter clothing increased anticipated warmth more strongly for male users.See it on page 9
07
Game designers can leverage these visual cues to enhance immersion or support well-being, but must remain aware of unintended thermal discomfort caused by mismatched environmental and avatar aesthetics.See it on page 1

Summary

Effects of Virtual Clothing and Naturalistic Virtual Environments on Temperature Perception and MARTIN KOCUR, University of Central Florida, USA ANANTA-DEZA REALDY, University of Regensburg, Germany MATTHIAS ZERNIEKEL, University of Regensburg, Germany VALENTIN SCHWIND, Stuttgart Media University, Germany NIELS HENZE, University of Tübingen, Germany Thermal perception and regulation are essential for many gameplay experiences.

Effects of Virtual Clothing and Naturalistic Virtual Environments on Temperature Perception and Thermoregulation

Effects of Virtual Clothing and Naturalistic Virtual Environments on Temperature Perception and Thermoregulation

Key insights

Summary

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