A Trip to the Beach: Experimental Investigation of Mood, the Body, and Presence in Virtual Reality Meditation

Loading...
Thumbnail Image

Authors

Bennett, Spencer

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

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.

Description

Keywords

Effects, Media, Meditation, Reality, Virtual

Citation

Endorsement

Review

Supplemented By

Referenced By