82. One Study: How Avatars Reflect Hidden Selves and Boost Wellbeing

🕊️ As we approach Passover, the holiday of freedom, we ask: Can our avatars help us move from internal slavery to expressive liberation? Hi, I’m Dr. Elhanan Gazit. With my AI co-hosts, Marshal and Daphne, I break down a 2025 study on how Gen Z uses avatars on Zepeto to express identity, unlock authenticity, and reclaim hidden parts of themselves.You'll learn:

• Why anonymity often reveals your truest self
• How self-esteem and popularity needs shape digital personas
• What this means for wellbeing, branding, and education in the AI era

This episode invites you to see avatars not as fantasy—but as powerful tools for healing, growth, and freedom.

 

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Read One Study Reference:

Kim, H. S., Kim, S., & Lee, E. J. (2025). The mirror of the metaverse: an exploration of reciprocal effects between self-views and avatar-based self-presentation. Human Communication Research, hqaf005. Link: https://doi.org/10.1093/hcr/hqaf005

 

* This episode is based on Dr. El-Hanan Gazit's upcoming book: 'Gameful Intelligence: The Secrets of Business Growth and Personal Happiness in the Gen AI Era' (working title).