Presence of virtual characters can reduce physical anxiety responses

You are not alone. Whether in humans or animals, proximity to conspecifics can have a calming effect in anxiety-inducing situations. This mechanism, known as social buffering, was originally discovered in animal research. Even zebrafish show less fear behavior in the presence of conspecifics. The size of the visible group doesn’t matter—even visual contact with individuals in neighboring tanks can mitigate threatening stimuli, in this case triggered by alarm substances in the water.