Understanding higher education learners’ technostress in the metaverse

Metaverse is rapidly evolving as a digital ecosystem combining immersive virtual and augmented reality with persistent social spaces. While not originally designed for education, the metaverse holds potential for higher education by offering possibilities for embodied learning, rich interaction and authentic practice. Yet, the psychological demands of engaging with educational content in such environments remain underexplored. One potential drawback is technostress, which is the stress from adapting to complex digital systems. If neglected, technostress may largely hinder learning. In addition, it is vital to explore the coping responses that higher education learners use to mitigate technostress. This mixed-methods study investigates how higher education students experience technostress in the Metaverse, identifying main technostressors and learners’ coping strategies. Survey data from 78 Finnish university students and follow-up interviews with 31 participants revealed that technostress is multidimensional, spanning cognitive, emotional, physical and social dimensions. The findings show a significant difference in technostress between male and female participants. In addition, the study advances technostress theory by conceptualising it as both cognitive and embodied. This study offers practical recommendations for developers, educators and policymakers seeking to design inclusive and psychologically sustainable learning in the metaverse. They highlight the need for gender-responsive design and user-centred improvements***. © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.