The Influence of Culture in Shaping Anthropomorphic Attitudes Towards Robots: A Literature Review

The ongoing evolution of robotic technology reveals a noticeable trend toward endowing robots with human-like traits, seen in their external design and language communication. However, there has been controversy about whether people accept and what factors influence their attitudes toward making robots more human-like. Despite studies emphasizing the impact of cultural backgrounds on attitudes towards robot anthropomorphism, existing research lacks sufficient classification and comparison of these cultural factors. This study, through an in-depth literature review, reveals that cultural factors, such as religious beliefs, popular culture, media exposure, social norms, values, and cognitive patterns, exert a substantial influence on user attitudes towards robot anthropomorphism. This influence varies across geographic regions and national contexts. Non-cultural factors such as technological acceptance, loneliness, and the uncanny valley effect also play a role. This review, crucial for human-robot interaction and cultural integration, proposes distinct cultural perspectives and classifications, offering valuable directions for future research.