A Trip to the Beach: Experimental Investigation of Mood, the Body, and Presence in Virtual Reality Meditation
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Authors
Bennett, Spencer
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Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
This study sought to explore the effects of virtual reality (VR) as a technology that can potentially improve guided meditation practices; VR guided meditation sessions and audio guided meditation sessions were compared. Specifically, this study investigated VR’s impact on an individual’s self-perception of psychological factors that reflect mood or emotion; it also examined VR’s impact on an individual’s self-perception of presence and relaxation. After examination, VR guided meditation had no significant impact on an individual’s self-perception of mood and emotion or self-reported feelings of relaxation. However, guided VR meditation had a significant impact on an individual’s self-reported perception of presence; participants who meditated with VR felt “as if they were at the beach.” Although this study demonstrated that a fairly inexpensive VR system can enhance feelings of presence, that sense of presence did not enhance feelings of well-being and relaxation; this could be attributed to the novelty effect.
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Keywords
Effects, Media, Meditation, Reality, Virtual