Frigione and colleagues probed human responses to natural environments experienced virtually. They report that their “study investigates the effects of natural and indoor virtual environments (VREs) on psychophysiological and cognitive responses. . . . participants were exposed to two VREs (i.e., a forest and a living room) . . . through a head-mounted display (Oculus Rift). . . . Participants reported a higher perceived sense of relaxation in the virtual forest. . . . The results suggest that a natural virtual environment can make people feel more relaxed and physiologically engaged than an indoor scenario.”
Ivana Frigione, Gemma Massetti, Matteo Girondini, Roberta Etzi, Giulia Scurati, Francesco Ferrise, Alice Chirico, Andrea Gagioli, and Alberto Gallace. 2022. “An Exploratory Study of the Effect of Virtual Environments on Cognitive Performances and Psychophysiological Responses.” Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, vol. 25, no. 10, https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2021.0162