Abstract
Nature exposure is known to promote physical and mental health. However, actual nature exposure may be difficult to achieve for the population of people with physical disabilities or chronic conditions. Therefore, many attempts have been made to duplicate nature exposure via media devices, and virtual reality (VR) is deemed as a promising technology due to its advantage in creating a sense of immersion. Generally, current studies suggest that being exposed to virtual nature may contribute to psychological and physiological relaxation. Besides, some pieces of evidence indicate that virtual nature may improve attentional resources, cognitive performance, and pain experience. Although VR is deemed as an advanced media, insufficient evidence was found concerning the advantages of VR over traditional two-dimensional media when it comes to simulated nature exposure. On the other hand, computer-generated (CG) scenarios were found to be more beneficial than 360° videos, and mini-games may be useful in creating an interactive VR format for simulated nature exposure. Further research is needed because of the limited relevant studies.
Highlights
Being exposed to nature, including blue and green natural environments, is known to elicit a range of physical and mental health benefits (e.g., improve emotional states, reduce the risk of mental health issues, and benefit cardiovascular functions) (Gascon et al, 2015; White et al, 2021)
Being exposed to nature, including blue and green natural environments, is known to elicit a range of physical and mental health benefits (Gascon et al, 2015; White et al, 2021)
As a technology that creates a better sense of immersion, virtual reality (VR) is reported to have positive effects on the presence and perceived environmental restorativeness during a simulated nature walk, which is equivalent to the actual nature walk counterpart (Calogiuri et al, 2017)
Summary
Being exposed to nature, including blue and green natural environments, is known to elicit a range of physical and mental health benefits (e.g., improve emotional states, reduce the risk of mental health issues, and benefit cardiovascular functions) (Gascon et al, 2015; White et al, 2021). Limited studies compared VR with traditional 2D media in simulated nature exposure, which needs extra investigation. A study reported the positive effect of virtual nature on cognitive performance (Mostajeran et al, 2021), which could be related to its restorativeness (Shin, 2011).
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