Virtual reality nature simulations improved university students’ emotional well-being and self-regulationAlthough the benefits of nature exposure are well established, many individuals face barriers to direct nature contact due to urban living, busy lifestyles, or mobility limitations. As a result, researchers have increasingly examined indirect forms of nature exposure, such as photographs, videos, and other digital media, as accessible alternatives that may offer similar psychological and restorative benefits. Virtual reality (VR) nature simulations may be especially valuable for individuals with limited access to natural settings; however, further research is needed to clarify the beneficial impacts of this type of nature exposure. To examine these benefits, this experimental study investigated whether a VR-simulated nature exposure could provide stronger restorative effects than an urban video control condition. Specifically, the study examined impacts on young adults’ emotional restoration, attentional restoration (in terms of working memory), and self-control capacity.
One hundred undergraduate students (age 18 to 26) attending a university in Singapore participated in the study. The study employed an experimental design in which all participants completed a VR nature session and an urban video session as a control condition. The sessions were spaced one week apart, and the session order was randomly selected. Half of the participants started with the VR session, and half started with the control condition. During the VR nature session, participants wore a VR headset to view 360-degree videos of calming natural environments for ten minutes. The VR nature session provided participants with a first-person perspective, allowing them to move and freely interact with the virtual environment. The control condition involved watching a YouTube video that presented a first-person perspective of walking busy city streets in a local urban setting for ten minutes. Before the sessions, participants first completed baseline assessments of emotional well-being, self-control capacity, and working memory. Emotional well-being was evaluated using the Circumplex Model of Affect Scale to assess positive affect (PA), including energetic, happy, content, and relaxed moods, and negative affect (NA), including angry, anxious, tense, and unhappy moods. Self-control capacity (the ability to regulate one’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviors) was measured using the Brief State Self-Control Capacity Scale. Participants then completed the operation span (OSpan) task as a baseline measure of their working memory capacity. After each session, post-treatment assessments were administered that repeated the same measures of affect and self-control as the baseline assessment. Post-treatment working memory capacity was assessed using the Symmetry complex span (SymSpan) task. Assessment data were statistically analyzed.
The main statistical analysis did not detect significant differences in working memory capacity between the VR nature and urban video conditions. However, significant differences were found between the VR nature and urban video conditions for PA, NA, and self-control capacity. Specifically, participants in the VR condition reported an increase in PA from baseline to post-treatment, while participants in the urban condition indicated a decrease. This suggests that VR nature exposure boosted positive affect, whereas urban exposure reduced it. Additionally, participants in the VR condition reported a reduction in NA, while in the urban condition, participants’ NA remained stable. This finding suggests that VR nature exposure reduced negative affect more effectively than the urban control condition. Participants in the VR nature condition also indicated an increase in self-control from baseline to post-treatment. On the other hand, participants in the urban condition showed a decrease in self-control from baseline to post-treatment. These findings indicate that VR nature exposure strengthened self-control capacity, whereas the urban control condition weakened it.
The study highlights the potential of VR-simulated nature to support recovery and self-regulation, especially in urban settings where access to real nature may be limited. The researchers conclude that “while the absence of condition-specific significant effects on working memory capacity highlights the complexity of replicating nature's full restorative power, the clear emotional and self-regulatory benefits observed in the VR nature condition underscore its promise as a scalable intervention for enhancing well-being.” Findings align with previous research indicating that simulated natural environments can provide restorative benefits. Findings are also consistent with the Stress Recovery and Attention Restoration Theories. Future research should examine how the benefits of VR nature exposure compare to real-world nature exposure. Research might also examine whether personal factors such as familiarity with VR technology or nature connectedness influence an individual’s response to VR nature exposure. Nonetheless, findings suggest that the restorative impact of VR nature experiences can help to make nature’s benefits more accessible to people with limited access to real-world natural environments.
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