Abstract Previous studies have demonstrated health benefits result from exposure to natural environments. Virtual reality (VR) may offer an alternative to actual outdoor immersion by generating a simulated health-promoting environment. Given that health issues are more prevalent in older adults, this study investigated the restorative effects of virtual natural settings on middle-aged and elderly adults. A cross-over pretest-posttest design was used to measure changes in participants’ mood levels, physiological and psychological responses, and attentional measures of cognitive functioning (N = 34). Semi-structured interviews after the VR experiences were conducted to evaluate participants’ experiences. Physiological responses to VR did not differ between virtual natural and urban settings. In contrast, participants expressed more positive feelings and lower levels of fatigue and depression after viewing virtual nature settings than after viewing virtual urban settings. Virtual nature settings were also rated as more restorative than virtual urban settings. Further, participants described virtual natural settings as appeasing and relaxing, so much so that they were motivated to travel outdoors to experience the settings shown in VR. Our findings provide additional evidence that viewing simulated natural settings in VR can be beneficial for this population. Perhaps the most promising finding is that VR may motivate older adults to experience nature outdoors, thus promoting synergistic benefits first during virtual exposure and then during actual exposure.

中文翻译：

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沉浸式 VR 自然环境对中老年人的修复效果

摘要 先前的研究表明，暴露于自然环境对健康有益。虚拟现实 (VR) 可以通过生成模拟的促进健康的环境来替代实际的户外沉浸式体验。鉴于老年人的健康问题更为普遍，本研究调查了虚拟自然环境对中老年人的恢复作用。交叉前测-后测设计用于测量参与者的情绪水平、生理和心理反应以及认知功能的注意测量（N = 34）的变化。在 VR 体验之后进行半结构化访谈以评估参与者的体验。虚拟自然环境和城市环境对 VR 的生理反应没有差异。相比之下，与观看虚拟城市环境相比，参与者在观看虚拟自然环境后表现出更多的积极情绪和更低的疲劳和抑郁程度。虚拟自然环境也被评为比虚拟城市环境更具恢复性。此外，参与者将虚拟自然环境描述为令人愉悦和放松，以至于他们有动力到户外去体验 VR 中显示的环境。我们的研究结果提供了额外的证据，表明在 VR 中观看模拟的自然环境可能对这一人群有益。也许最有希望的发现是 VR 可能会激励老年人在户外体验自然，从而首先在虚拟曝光期间，然后在实际曝光期间促进协同效益。