Can Simulated Nature Support Mental Health? Comparing Short, Single-Doses of 360-Degree Nature Videos in Virtual Reality With the Outdoors

Abstract

Nature exposure in virtual reality (VR) can provide emotional well-being benefits for people who cannot access the outdoors. Little is known about how these simulated experiences compare with real outdoor experiences. We conduct an experiment with healthy undergraduate students that tests the effects of 6 min of outdoor nature exposure with 6 min of exposure to a 360-degree VR nature video, which is recorded at the outdoor nature exposure location. Skin conductivity, restorativeness, and mood before and after exposure are measured. We find that both types of nature exposure increase physiological arousal, benefit positive mood levels, and are restorative compared to an indoor setting without nature; however, for outdoor exposure, positive mood levels increase and for virtual nature, they stay the same. The nature-based experience shows benefits above and beyond the variance explained by participants' preferences, nature and VR experiences, and demographic characteristics. Settings where people have limited access to nature might consider using VR nature experiences to promote mental health.

Feeling Connected after Experiencing Digital Nature: A Survey Study

“…As simulated nature might have similar effects on measures relevant to mental health as real nature [ 16 , 17 , 18 ], it can be applied in a variety of settings where there is a lack of (access to) real life nature interaction [ 16 ]. It has been shown that a short single-dose of nature videos in virtual reality can enhance positive mood levels [ 16 ]. Furthermore, immersive nature videos can evoke emotional responses and sense of presence that are comparable to responses evoked by real life nature experiences [ 28 ].…”

“…Nature, however, is not always around or accessible, for example for older adults with mobility restrictions or during (inter)national lockdowns. In situations where people have limited access to real life nature interaction [ 16 ], new technologies including virtual reality and augmented reality offer alternative opportunities to interact with nature. This is all the more interesting when considering research showing that interactions with simulated nature can have similar effects on mental health and wellbeing as interactions with real life nature [ 16 , 17 , 18 ].…”

Enable, Reconnect and Augment: A New ERA of Virtual Nature Research and Application

“…However the same IVN was unable to produce similar responses with respect to physiological measurements. Browning et al [51], on the other hand, found a similar physiological response for IVN compared to a real natural environment, but also demonstrated a superior effect on mood levels for the real natural environment. The aforementioned research suggests that IVN is currently not able to fully reproduce the whole range of psychophysiological responses that people experience in real nature.…”

“…The characteristics of the control and/or comparison conditions also require careful evaluation. Some studies have used "true control conditions" such as sitting quietly staring at a blank wall (e.g., [51]). This may, however, be problematic.…”

“…On the other hand, recent research reports that the novelty effect also influences the results in studies on virtual and augmented reality [114,115], which suggests that participants who are unfamiliar with the technology might view the experience as positive based on the novelty of the technology alone. Although a study of IVN by Browning et al [51] concluded that the novelty effect did not influence the results in studies of virtual nature, it may be too soon to make a definite conclusion regarding this matter. Demographic factors including age and being a 'digital native' should also be considered depending on the goal of the study and the target sample.…”