Here, we present a protocol to investigate the effects of immersive 360-degree virtual reality nature exposures on mood and embodiment. Participants experience forest and marine environments in seated and standing postures, with assessments using standardized scales to evaluate therapeutic outcomes for mental health interventions.
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Research Article
VR Nature Therapy: Embodiment and Emotional Regulation through Immersive Virtual Environments
In This Article
Summary
Abstract
Virtual reality (VR) nature therapies show promise for emotion regulation, but optimal combinations of settings remain unclear. This within-subjects study examined how cultural familiarity (Hong Kong marine vs. German forest sceneries) and interaction mode (sitting vs. standing) affect mood, embodiment, nature connectedness, and VR presence in 31 participants (mean age 22.5 years, SD 2.1; 18 female, 13 male; no prior VR experience reported by 74%). Using immersive 360-degree VR natural sceneries, we assessed outcomes via standardized scales before and after exposure. Results revealed significant pre- to post-exposure improvements in mood (reduced anger, confusion, depression, fatigue, tension) and embodiment (enhanced Body Unencumbered Adjustment), suggesting VR nature therapies' potential for treating mood disorders. Standing postures significantly enhanced embodiment compared to sitting, underscoring physical posture's influence on body awareness. Moderate levels of presence and nature connectedness highlighted 360-degree videos' effectiveness for therapeutic benefits. Although no significant effects emerged from scenery changes, findings emphasize VR nature therapies' substantial potential for mental health interventions. Therapists should tailor body positions in VR sessions to optimize embodiment and enhance outcomes. Even simple 360-degree VR implementations can yield meaningful therapeutic effects, warranting further exploration for urbanized populations with limited nature access.
Introduction
Virtual Reality (VR) technology has rapidly advanced, offering immersive simulations across diverse fields, including environmental psychology1. At the core of VR applications is embodiment -- the multisensory integration process generating our fundamental sense of bodily self2. In VR, embodiment arises from perceptual, cognitive, and motor systems, fostering illusions of self-location, body ownership, and agency3. Neurophysiological studies have linked these illusions to brain regions such as the temporoparietal junction and premotor cortex2,4.
Embodiment in VR connects to humans' innate affinity for nature, rooted in the Biophilia Hypothesis5,6. Nature exposure elicits positive emotional responses, reduces stress, and enhances cognitive restoration7. VR nature simulations demonstrate similar benefits, inducing relaxation while mitigating urban stressors8,9. Meta-analyses show immersive virtual nature experiences enhance nature connectedness with small to moderate effect sizes10.
Therapeutic effects are explained by Attention Restoration Theory (ART)11, which argues natural environments restore directed attention through "soft fascination." The Preference Matrix outlines four restorative characteristics: coherence, complexity, legibility, and mystery12. Cultural familiarity modulates these effects, with East Asian participants often preferring water-based scenes over forests13,14.
Despite insights, gaps persist in understanding VR nature therapies' neural underpinnings, particularly regarding embodiment. High embodiment can amplify positive emotional responses and stress reduction15. Standing postures promote greater motor agency and spatial presence compared to sitting, potentially strengthening embodiment illusions16. However, literature lacks sufficient comparisons of content types and cultural familiarity effects17,18.
This within-subjects study examines the effects of VR nature content (Hong Kong marine vs. German forest), familiarity, and interaction mode (sitting vs. standing) on mood, embodiment, nature connectedness, and presence in healthy participants. We hypothesize VR nature exposure will improve mood states and embodiment, with stronger effects in culturally familiar settings6. Standing postures should heighten presence and nature connectedness by fostering greater agency12.
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Protocol
This study was conducted as per the Human Subjects Ethics Committee approval of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Institutional Review Board (Reference number: HSEARS20230502008). The recruited participants provided informed consent before participation.
VR system setup
The virtual reality system consisted of a virtual reality headset connected to a high-performance laptop for rendering 360-degree virtual environments (Figure 1 and Figure 2) created in a game engine (version 2021.3.9f1). Four base stations were positioned at room corners, angled at 30°, covering a 5m × 5m space for room-scale interaction (Figure 3). Two 4-min 360-degree videos were prepared: a forest landscape recorded in Zeisigwald, Germany (Figure 1), and a marine environment recorded at Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong (Figure 2), both captured using a 360-degree camera and processed using video editing software for stitching multiple angles of landscape scenes. The videos included ambient audio recordings from the natural environments (e.g., bird calls, wind, and wave sounds) presented via stereo headphones integrated with the headset. The 360-degree videos were mapped onto a spherical surface fixed to the scene's coordinate system in the game engine, allowing participants to look around via head rotation. For standing conditions, participants could move naturally within the tracked space, but locational movement did not alter the video perspective (i.e., no parallax shift).
Participant recruitment and preparation
Thirty-one healthy participants (mean age 22.5 years, SD 2.1; 18 female, 13 male; no prior VR experience reported by 74%) were recruited and provided informed consent before participation. Prior to VR exposure, participants completed baseline assessments using standardized questionnaires: the Profile of Mood States (POMS) measuring anger, confusion, depression, fatigue, tension, and vigor; the Experience of Embodiment Scale (EES) assessing six embodiment dimensions including Positive Body Connection and Comfort (PBCC), Body Unencumbered Adjustment (BUA), Agency and Functionality (AF), Experience and Expression of Sexual Desire (EESD), Attuned Self-care (ASC), and Resisting Objectification (RO); the Presence Questionnaire (PQ) evaluating sense of presence in virtual environments; the Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS) measuring participants' connection to nature for both forest and marine environments; and the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) assessing nausea, oculomotor disturbance, and disorientation symptoms.
Experimental procedure
The experimental procedure involved four conditions conducted in a fixed sequence: seated forest viewing, seated marine viewing, standing forest viewing, and standing marine viewing (Figure 4). Each VR session lasted 4 min, during which participants experienced immersive 360-degree natural sceneries. For seated conditions, participants remained in a comfortable chair throughout the experience. For standing conditions, participants stood within the tracked play area and could move naturally within the 5 m × 5 m space. After each condition, participants immediately completed the same standardized assessments used at baseline to capture post-exposure changes in mood, embodiment, presence, nature connectedness, and simulator sickness.
Data analysis
Data analysis was conducted using statistical software. The Friedman Test was applied for pre- to post-exposure comparisons to assess overall changes across all conditions. Wilcoxon Signed Rank Tests were used for pairwise condition comparisons to examine specific effects of posture (sitting vs. standing) and environment type (forest vs. marine). Descriptive statistics, including means, medians, modes, and variances, were calculated for presence, connectedness, and sickness measures. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05, with Bonferroni correction applied for multiple comparisons where appropriate. Effect sizes (r for Wilcoxon tests, Kendall's W for Friedman) were calculated to assess practical significance.
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Results
Significant improvements were observed from pre- to post-exposure across multiple mood dimensions (Table 1). The Friedman Test revealed significant reductions in negative mood aspects: anger (χ² = 23.992, p < 0.001, Kendall's W = 0.1935), confusion (χ² = 23.709, p < 0.001, Kendall's W = 0.1912), depression (χ² = 26.690, p < 0.001, Kendall's W = 0.2152), fatigue (χ² = 38.453, p < 0.001, Kendall's W = 0.3101), tension (χ² = 19.640, p < 0.001, Kendall's W = 0.1584), and total mood disturbance...
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Discussion
This study demonstrated that brief 4-min VR nature exposures significantly improved mood and embodiment, supporting the therapeutic potential of virtual nature interventions. The significant reductions in anger, confusion, depression, fatigue, and tension (Table 1) align with previous research on virtual forest bathing and reinforce Biophilia and Stress-Reduction theories19,20. Enhanced Body Unencumbered Adjustment scores indicate participants fe...
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Disclosures
The authors have nothing to disclose.
Acknowledgements
The project is supported by the Germany/Hong Kong Joint Research Scheme sponsored by the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong and the German Academic Exchange Service: G PolyU505/22, and partially supported by the Internal Research Fund of UOWCHK (IRG25/ST/03).
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Materials
| Name | Company | Catalog Number | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 360-degree Forest Video | Custom Recording | N/A | 4-min video clip of forest landscape in Zeisigwald, Germany |
| 360-degree Marine Video | Custom Recording | N/A | 4-min video clip of marine environment at Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong |
| Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS) | Academic Research | N/A | Scale measuring participants connection to nature for both forest and marine environments |
| Experience of Embodiment Scale (EES) | Academic Research | N/A | Scale measuring embodiment aspects: PBCC, BUA, AF, EESD, ASC, and RO |
| Gaming Laptop | Various | N/A | High-performance laptop connected to VR headset for rendering |
| HTC Vive Base Stations | HTC Corporation | N/A | Four base stations positioned at room corners for room-scale interaction |
| HTC Vive Pro 2 | HTC Corporation | N/A | VR headset used for immersive virtual reality experiences |
| Insta360 X2 | Insta360 | N/A | 360-degree camera used to record forest and marine environments |
| Insta360 Studio | Insta360 | N/A | Software for stitching multiple angles of landscape scenes |
| Presence Questionnaire (PQ) | Academic Research | N/A | Questionnaire measuring sense of presence in virtual environments |
| Profile of Mood States (POMS) | Educational and Industrial Testing Service | N/A | Standardized questionnaire measuring mood states including anger, confusion, depression, fatigue, tension, and vigor |
| Seating Setup | Various | N/A | Chair setup for seated VR viewing condition |
| Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) | Academic Research | N/A | Questionnaire measuring nausea, oculomotor disturbance, and disorientation symptoms |
| SPSS Statistical Software | IBM | Version 26.0 | Statistical analysis software used for data analysis including Friedman Test and Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test |
| Standing Platform | Various | N/A | Platform allowing participants to stand during VR experience within 5 m x 5 m space |
| Unity3D | Unity Technologies | Version 2021.3.9f1 | Game engine used to develop 360-degree virtual nature simulations |
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