A cyber buddy might just give exercise enthusiasts—and those who are less than “enthused”—the extra nudge they need during a workout, new research suggests.

The study, which appears in the Games for Health Journal, is the first to indicate that although a human partner is still a better motivator during exercise, a software-generated partner also can be effective.

“We wanted to demonstrate that something that isn’t real can still motivate people to give greater effort while exercising than if they had to do it by themselves,” says Deborah Feltz, a professor in Michigan State University’s kinesiology department who led the study with co-investigator Brian Winn, associate professor in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences.

The implications from the research also could open the door for software and video game companies to create cyber buddy programs based on sport psychology.

“Unlike many of the current game designs out there, these results could allow developers to create exercise platforms that incorporate team or partner dynamics that are based on science,” says Feltz.

VIRTUAL BUDDY

Using “CyBud-X,” an exercise game specifically developed for Feltz’s research, 120 college-aged participants were given five different isometric plank exercises to do with one of three same-sex partner choices.

Along with a human partner option, two software-generated buddies were used—one representing what looked to be a nearly human partner and another that looked animated. The participant and partner image were then projected onto a screen via a web camera while exercising.

The results showed that a significant motivational gain was observed in all partner conditions.

“Even though participants paired with a human partner held their planks, on average, one minute and 20 seconds longer than those with no partner, those paired with one of the software-generated buddies still held out, on average, 33 seconds longer,” says Feltz.

PART OF A TEAM

Much of Feltz’s research in this area has focused on the Köhler Motivation Effect, a phenomenon that explains why people, who may not be adept exercisers themselves, perform better with a moderately better partner or team as opposed to working out alone.

Her findings give credence that programs such as “CyBud-X” can make a difference in the way people perform.

“We know that people tend to show more effort during exercise when there are other partners involved because their performance hinges on how the entire team does,” she says. “The fact that a nonhuman partner can have a similar effect is encouraging.”

The National Institutes of Health funded the study.

一项新的研究显示，一个虚拟伙伴可以让锻炼热爱者，还有那些不那么狂热的锻炼者，在锻炼过程中获得额外动力。

该研究刊载于《游戏健康杂志》（Games for Health Journal），首次指出尽管拥有一个人类伙伴仍旧是在锻炼中更好的动力，但是，软件生成的虚拟伙伴也同样有效。

密歇根州立大学人体运动学院教授黛博拉·菲尔兹与交流艺术和科学学院副教授布莱恩·韦恩（Brian Winn）共同负责该项研究。菲尔兹说：“我们想要证明一些虚拟的事物仍旧可以激励人们在锻炼时比他们平时自己做时更加努力。”

该项研究的结果也会启发软件和电子游戏公司制作基于运动心理学的虚拟伙伴程序。

菲尔兹说：“不像一些现存的游戏设计，研究的结果可以让开发者制作锻炼平台，科学地在平台中收录团队或是伙伴可以给人带来的动力。”

虚拟伙伴

使用专为菲尔兹研究设计的锻炼游戏——“CyBud-X”，120名20多岁的参与者进行五种不同的可提高肌肉张力的平板支撑锻炼，他们要从3名同性中挑出一位作为自己的伙伴。

在试验中，一个人除了一名人类伙伴，还有两个软件生成伙伴——一个看起来与人类伙伴相近，另一个则看起来十分卡通。在锻炼中，参与锻炼者和伙伴的图像将会通过网络摄像头投射在大屏幕上。

结果显示，在所有有伙伴的情况下，参与者的动力都大大提高了。

菲尔兹说：“尽管拥有人类伙伴的参与者平均平板支撑能保持1分钟，这比没有伙伴的参与者多了20秒，但是那些有软件生成虚拟伙伴的参与者则可以再多保持33秒。”

团队的一部分

在菲尔兹这里领域的许多研究，都注重“克勒动机效应”（The Köhler Motivation Effect）。这是一个现象，用来解释为什么人，尽管有时并没有亲身进行锻炼，但在与一个表现更好的伙伴或是团队中会比独自一人锻炼表现的更好。

她的发现使得像“CyBud-X”这样可以改变人们行为方式的项目得到认可。

她说：“我们知道，当在锻炼中有其他伙伴参与的时候，人们倾向于表现的更为卖力。因为他们的表现与整个团队的表现息息相关。事实上，一个非人类伙伴同样可以有鼓舞人心的作用。”

该研究由美国国家卫生研究院资助。

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