Extended reality, represented by virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), has rapidly penetrated the e-commerce market in recent years. Recognized as a crucial technology for achieving virtual and telepresence, extended reality technology has been gaining more attention from marketing scholars and practitioners. Compared with the traditional mouse and monitor, user interaction through VR/AR technology has promising futures in delivering better user experience and driving business revenue. Therefore, existing researchers mainly focus on the positive effects of VR/AR technology, such as providing immersive experiences. However, VR/AR technology and e-commerce have not fully converged, as limited research has explored the dark sides of VR/AR technology. For example, what might be the technical stressors of VR/AR technology? What are the mechanisms by which these stressors affect user perception and post-adoption behavior? Existing studies haven’t provided definitive answers to these questions. As such, this study designed a behavioral experiment based on VR/AR technology to discuss the above questions in detail.The first part clarifies the theoretical framework and the research object.Since existing research paradigms of VR/AR technology are not yet mature, this study introduces the stressor-strain-outcome (SSO) theoretical framework, which is widely applied in information systems (especially in negative usage behaviors). Specifically, this framework explains environmental stimuli and their corresponding results at the individual level from the perspective of stress. It has been primarily applied in stress-related studies under social media, tourism services, etc. Therefore, conducting stress-related research with emerging technologies in e-commerce is of great significance in extending the applicability of the SSO theoretical framework.In terms of VR/AR technology, head-mounted display virtual reality (HMD-VR) provides users with attractive visual stimuli and adds a sense of immersion compared to desktop virtual reality (D-VR). In contrast, D-VR does not completely show the characteristics of an immersive technology. Therefore, research on HMD-VR is more conducive to promoting the application of immersive technologies in e-commerce. With the release of AR development kits, the functions provided by Mobile AR apps (MAR) become more perfect. A growing number of new MAR apps are flooding the consumer market. These apps are replacing AR Smart glasses, which are currently immature in terms of size, price, and usability. Building upon these insights, research on MAR has more theoretical and practical significance.In conclusion, this study employs the “behavioral experiment method + VR/AR technology” approach from a stress perspective, based on the stressor-strain-outcome (SSO) theoretical framework. The research focuses on HMD-VR and MAR and investigates the effects of stressors of VR/AR technology on user perception and post-adoption behavior, as well as the underlying mechanism.The second and third sections are research design and data analysis.This study adopted a single-factor between-groups experimental design, in which subjects were randomly assigned to carry out a sofa selection task in a VR/AR environment. Specifically, the AR environment was selected through the IKEA Place app, while the VR environment (HMD-VR) was developed by researchers using the Vizard software platform and 3DMax software, relying on the Virtual Simulation Experiment Center of Southwest University for an immersive online shopping experience. The self-developed virtual environment can ensure the consistency of other factors except for the type of VR/AR technology in the experiment, and reduce the influence of other factors on experimental precision. A total of 120 subjects were recruited, excluding 15 students who failed to complete the experiment or gave incomplete answers. As such, there were 105 effective subjects. Among them, 53 were in the VR group and 52 were in the AR group. After the experiment, PLS-SEM was used for conducting data analysis. The results indicate: 1) VR/AR technology performs differently under different technical stressors. VR induces a higher sense of social loneliness, while no significant difference exists in emotional loneliness between VR and AR. 2) Compared with VR, AR causes a stronger threat appraisal regardless of perceived susceptibility or perceived severity. 3) VR/AR technical stressors affect user satisfaction and discontinuance behavior through the mediating role of technology anxiety, which verifies the effectiveness of the SSO model in the VR/AR technology environment.By examining the bright side rather than just the dark side, the conclusions add new knowledge about the technical stressors caused by VR/AR technology from the perspective of technical characteristics, which expands the existing research conclusions on VR/AR technology. In general, this study focuses on the influence and mechanism of VR/AR technical stressors on user perception and post-adoption behavior from the perspective of stress. Importantly, it stands as an important research basis for the effective integration of VR/AR technology and e-commerce in the future. Developers of VR/AR technology should pay more attention to the protection of user privacy in the new technology environment, and provide users with adequate information support and emotional assistance. Governments and marketers should assume the obligation to popularize the knowledge related to VR/AR technology to alleviate user fear of unknown technology. All these efforts help reduce the occurrence of discontinuance behavior.