Despite the hype surrounding the metaverse, there is scant empirical research that examines who uses the service, for what specific purposes, and with what consequences. Based on a survey of current Zepeto users (N = 200), a popular metaverse application that enables people to create avatars and socialize while exploring the virtual spaces, we investigated (a) the key motives of Zepeto use, (b) how Big Five personality traits predict specific motives of Zepeto use, and (c) how specific motives of Zepeto use are associated with users' psychological well-being. Overall, users were largely driven by the desire to explore the virtual world and enjoy unique experiences, but such a tendency was stronger among those higher on openness and agreeableness. Extroverts were more likely to use Zepeto for functional purposes, while those higher on neuroticism turned to Zepeto to escape from reality. As for psychological consequences, while those using Zepeto for functional and escaping purposes reported higher levels of loneliness, those who used Zepeto for social and experiential goals were less lonely. The experiential and escape motives predicted perceived social support in the opposite directions. Moreover, by comparing Zepeto users' responses with those of non-users (N = 200), we found that (a) non-users overestimated users' motives of Zepeto use, especially social and escape motives, (b) Zepeto users were higher on extraversion and openness than non-users, and (c) users reported higher levels of loneliness than non-users with no significant difference in perceived social support. Implications of the findings and future directions are discussed.

中文翻译：

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元宇宙的吸引力是什么？Zepeto 使用动机的人格相关性及其与心理健康的关联。

尽管围绕元宇宙大肆宣传，但很少有实证研究来检验谁在使用该服务、出于什么特定目的以及产生什么后果。基于对当前 Zepeto 用户（N = 200）的调查，这是一种流行的元宇宙应用程序，使人们能够在探索虚拟空间的同时创建化身和社交，我们调查了（a）使用 Zepeto 的主要动机，（b）Big Five 如何性格特征预测 Zepeto 使用的具体动机，以及 (c) Zepeto 使用的具体动机如何与用户的心理健康相关联。总体而言，用户主要受到探索虚拟世界和享受独特体验的渴望的驱使，但这种倾向在开放性和宜人性较高的人群中更为强烈。性格外向的人更有可能将 Zepeto 用于功能性目的，而那些神经质较高的人则转向 Zepeto 以逃避现实。至于心理后果，虽然那些将 Zepeto 用于功能性和逃避目的的人报告了更高程度的孤独感，但那些将 Zepeto 用于社交和体验目标的人并不那么孤独。经验动机和逃避动机预测相反方向的感知社会支持。此外，通过比较 Zepeto 用户与非用户 (N = 200) 的反应，我们发现 (a) 非用户高估了用户使用 Zepeto 的动机，尤其是社交和逃避动机，(b) Zepeto 用户更高与非用户相比，外向性和开放性，以及 (c) 用户报告的孤独感水平高于非用户，并且在感知到的社会支持方面没有显着差异。讨论了研究结果的意义和未来的方向。