The uncanny valley effect in embodied conversational agents: a critical systematic review of attractiveness, anthropomorphism, and uncanniness.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

The Uncanny Valley Effect (UVE) describes the discomfort users feel when interacting with Embodied Conversational Agents (ECAs) that display human-like features, often resulting in anxiety, disgust, and avoidance. This systematic review investigates how user characteristics and ECA design features influence UVE, aiming to provide insights for improving user engagement.

Methods

Following PRISMA guidelines, we screened 21,897 papers from ACM Digital Library, IEEE Xplore, Scopus, ProQuest, and Web of Science, with 29 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. These studies focused on the roles of anthropomorphism, attractiveness, and uncanniness in user interactions with ECAs.

Results

Using the Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) tool, most studies

SUBMITTER: Cihodaru-Stefanache S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12493983 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature