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

Sigbjørn Litleskare,Giovanna Calogiuri,Tadhg E Macintyre

doi:10.3390/ijerph17051738

Abstract

Being exposed to natural environments is associated with improved health and well-being, as these environments are believed to promote feelings of “being away” from everyday struggles, positive emotional reactions and stress reduction. Despite these positive effects, humanity is becoming increasingly more distanced from nature due to societal changes, such as increased urbanization and the reduced accessibility of natural environments. Technology is also partly to blame, as research suggests that people replace nature contact with increased screen time. In this cross-section between nature and technology, we find technological nature which is progressing towards a point where we may be capable of simulating exposure to real nature. Concerns have been raised regarding this technology, as it is feared it will replace real nature. However, research suggests that virtual nature may have a more positive impact on society than a mere replacement of real nature, and this review propose several areas where virtual nature may be a beneficial addition to actual nature (Enable), help people reconnect with the real natural world (Reconnect) and “boost” human-nature interactions (Augment). Based on the current research and theoretical framework, this review proposes guidelines for future research within these areas, with the aim of advancing the field by producing high quality research.

Highlights

Human health is influenced by a wide range of factors, including the surrounding environment.Some environments may have a detrimental effect on human health, while others, such as natural environments, are believed to have a salutogenic effect
Replacing authentic nature with virtual nature would have severe consequences, as virtual nature lacks the ability to provide important ecosystem services such as climate regulation and nutrient cycling. In spite of these gloomy outlooks on the future of the human species and the potential for interactions with nature, the present paper suggests that technological nature may be more than a mere replacement of real nature and argues that it may rather be part of the solution to increase human-nature interactions and improve public health
Lahart et al [48] encourage researchers to provide clear information regarding randomization procedures and methodological transparency and rigor via the preregistration of study designs and statistical plans, as well as by making data openly accessible. In addition to these general recommendations, it is recommended that researchers report details of the immersive virtual nature (IVN) technology used in their studies, as well as detailed information on how the IVNs were developed, as research suggests that the generalization between devices may be limited [99,100]

Summary

Introduction

Human health is influenced by a wide range of factors, including the surrounding environment.Some environments may have a detrimental effect on human health, while others, such as natural environments, are believed to have a salutogenic effect. Human health is influenced by a wide range of factors, including the surrounding environment. Research suggests that being exposed to natural environments (e.g., forests, parks and beaches) is associated with improved health and well-being [1,2,3]. White et al [3] reported positive associations between recreational nature contact in the last seven days and self-reported health and well-being in a sample consisting of almost 20,000 participants. Compared to no nature contact in the previous week, the likelihood of reporting good health or high levels of well-being became significantly greater when participants reported a total duration of nature contact of 120 min per week or more. The health impact of 120 min of nature contact was comparable to achieving the recommended levels of physical activity, living in a high versus low deprivation area or being employed in a high versus low social grade occupation, which signifies the importance of nature contact for public health [3]

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Conclusion