Scholar Jeremy N. Bailenson, an assistant professor of communications at Stanford University, recently reported that virtual life can have a beneficial impact on real life, and he seems to mean more than the occasional avatar earning Lindens.

Bailenson revealed his team’s findings at a conference at Stanford in February. The core of the research indicated that users will base their behavior in offline worlds based on what happens to their avatars in the online world.

For example, if an avatar gains weight online, the tendency is for the user to start a weight-loss program offline. The research went against the current grain of thought that posits that offline activities influence online ones.

Bailensen also explored some more sinister findings of avatars. He said he could easily see virtual worlds manipulated by marketers in the future, but hopefully noted that “If you’re conscious of the manipulation,” he says, “it tends to backfire.”