Abstract
Physical inactivity remains a major global health concern, and researchers have been encouraged to explore the role of technology in the promotion of physical activity. Technologies that deliver audio-visual stimuli are frequently applied in the exercise domain. However, there is a paucity of research that examines the efficacy of modern virtual reality (VR) technology in this context. We investigated the effects of VR and music on affective, perceptual, enjoyment, and cardiac responses to aerobic-type exercise. A fully counterbalanced, within-subjects design was employed. A convenience sample of recreationally active adult volunteers (N=24) completed a 12-min protocol during which they exercised under music, VR, VR-with-music, and control conditions. Analyses indicated a Condition×Time interaction for affective valence and perceived activation. Moreover, a main effect of condition emerged for state attention and perceived enjoyment. The VR and VR-with-music conditions elicited the most positive affective valence, highest levels of perceived activation, greatest number of dissociative thoughts, and most exercise enjoyment. Differences between these two conditions were negligible across the breadth of dependent variables. The present findings illustrate the efficacy of modern VR technology in the exercise context, applied both with and without musical accompaniment. Additional research is required to assess the degree to which the findings are replicable among sedentary or ageing segments of the population. Given the emerging support pertaining to a positive relationship between affective responses and exercise adherence, VR technology should be considered as a means by which to promote an enjoyable exercise experience.
Highlights
Given the numerous health benefits associated with physical activity, the World Health Organization (WHO) set a global target to reduce physical inactivity by 10% by 2025 (World Health Organization, 2018)
Given the emerging support pertaining to a positive relationship between affective responses and exercise adherence, virtual reality (VR) technology should be considered as a means by which to promote an enjoyable exercise experience
The current findings provide evidence that audio-visual stimuli administered via modern VR headsets can assist in the promotion of a pleasurable exercise experience
Summary
Given the numerous health benefits associated with physical activity, the World Health Organization (WHO) set a global target to reduce physical inactivity by 10% by 2025 (World Health Organization, 2018). The lack of progress made towards increasing physical activity at the population-level has led researchers to question the efficacy of the “rational education” approach, which has predicated public health campaigns for decades (Ekkekakis et al, 2018). This approach assumes that individuals are rational and if provided with complete information pertaining to a behaviour, they are likely to change their behaviour in the desired manner (Ekkekakis, 2017). Predicated on psychological hedonism (Kahneman, 1999), the affect heuristic supports the notion that individuals are likely to engage in physical activity behaviours that result in pleasure and avoid those that result in displeasure (Williams, 2018). The theory defines exercise intensity with reference to metabolic indicators such as the ventilatory threshold (VT; the point at which breathing becomes laboured) and respiratory compensation point (RCP; which marks the onset of hyperventilation), both of which entail specific physiological changes (e.g., muscle acidosis; Ladwig et al, 2017)
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