KOREASCHOLAR

Metaverse blends the physical and virtual worlds, transforming the customer's shopping experience. This study aims to identify the psychological mechanism in the metaverse environment and the relationship between metaverse experience and consumer happiness. To identify metaverse experiences, both behavioral and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies were conducted. In a behavioral study, we found that consumers' happiness increased when participants were in an immersive metaverse space. In the fMRI study, we found greater activation in the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and lateral occipital cortex (LOC) regions in the high level of the immersive metaverse and found a positive relationship with consumers' happiness. This paper is the first attempt in marketing to provide an integrative brain map for the metaverse experience. This brain map helps marketers better understand the consumer experience. This study suggests that only in the immersive metaverse space where virtual and physical experiences interact can consumers become one with the virtual space and maximize customer experience values.

ABSTRACT
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Background and/or Conceptual Model
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Discussion and Contributions

• Meiling Yin(Business School, Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea)
• Wenying Tan(Business School, Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea)
• Eun-Ju Lee(Business School, Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea)
• Qi Jiang(Business School, Changwon National University, South Korea)
• Kyung Hoon Kim(Business School, Changwon National University, South Korea)