Effects of exposure to immersive computer-generated virtual nature and control environments on affect and cognition

Abstract

Previous research has shown that exposure to immersive virtual nature environments is able to induce positive affective and physiological effects. However, research on the effects on cognitive performance is scarce. Additionally, the effects of virtual nature exposure compared to a virtual control environment with a comparable amount of virtual objects have not been examined so far. Therefore, we conducted an experiment with 27 participants to study the psychological effects of such exposure. The virtual nature consisted of a 3D model of a typical forest environment, whereas the control environment was an abstract replication of the virtual forest environment. In both environments, a virtual wooden cart was used to transport the users from the start to the end of the virtual road. The typical background noise of moving such a cart was integrated into both environments as well. In addition, the virtual nature environment included typical forest sounds in the background, whereas the control condition did not have such background sounds. Both environments were compared with regard to their effects on cognitive performance (using trail making tests (TMTA, TMTB, and TMTB-A) as well as digit span forward and digit span backward tests), perceived restorativeness, mood, stress, sense of presence, and simulator sickness. The results showed that in comparison to the control environment, exposure to the virtual nature resulted in significantly higher cognitive performance, higher perceived restorativeness, higher positive affect, higher sense of presence, lower perceived stress, and lower simulator sickness.

The effects of familiarity, degree of controllability and varying contents of the environment to embodied and emotional experiences in virtual nature

“…Our results align with previous studies:Kalantari et al (2022) concluded that there was an improvement in mood changes after experiencing VR.Similarly,Mostajeran et al (2023) have stated that the involvement of virtual nature positively impacts mood and stress levels. However, they did not investigate the relationship between embodiment and altering VR contents or the degree of control.…”

A Study of the Emotional and Cognitive Effects of Long-Term Exposure to Nature Virtual Reality (VR) Videos on Mobile Terminals

“…VR is also becoming more and more popular in mobile applications. It can provide an alternative to actual outdoor immersion through 3D images that realistically simulate real scenes, giving people a feeling of immersion (e.g., positive effects on cognition [36] and stress relief [37]). The application of virtual technology to promote relaxation and to benefit attentional resources, cognitive performance, and pain experience is being supported by more research [38].…”

“…Research shows that natural alternatives (photos and videos) can approximate real nature, making the body relaxed and restored [40]. The forest environments presented via a head-mounted display had a positive effect on the participants' cognition [36]. Studies have demonstrated that virtual exposure to a forest environment is effective in reducing stress and anxiety caused by confinement in a limited space [37,41].…”

“…A study has demonstrated that a virtual reality nature condition provides significantly superior directed attention restoration and higher presence ratings [45]. A study showed that, in comparison to a control environment, exposure to virtual nature resulted in significantly higher cognitive performance, higher perceived restorativeness, a higher positive affect, a higher sense of presence, lower perceived stress, and lower simulator sickness [36].…”

Adding virtual plants leads to higher cognitive performance and psychological well-being in virtual reality

“…Even in virtual environments, similar positive effects of simulations of nature using immersive virtual reality (VR) technology have been observed 24 , 25 . For instance, as a result of exposure to immersive virtual nature previous studies have reported improvements in mood 26 , 27 and cognitive performance 28 , 29 , recovery from stress 30 , as well as reductions of anxiety 31 , 32 and negative emotions such as fatigue and depression 33 .…”