Katherine Mimnaugh Opportunities to Support Mental Health with Virtual Reality Nature Videos

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Discovering the Power of Nature in Virtual Reality

Hello everyone! My name is Catherine Mina, a doctoral student in the Perception Engineering Group at the Center for Ubiquitous Computing at the University of Oulu in Finland. Today, I am thrilled to speak to you about the power of nature in virtual reality.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me on the chat or through the Slack channel, virtual-nature. I will do my best to answer them at the end of this conversation or afterward on our shared Slack channel.

Overview

In our digital era, it's more crucial than ever to acknowledge and address mental health concerns. The world is grappling with problems such as the COVID-19 pandemic and widespread protests against racial discrimination. This makes it all the more important to remember: you're not alone, and there are resources and understanding people accessible for prompt support.

Today, I'll be talking to you about how virtual reality technology can harness the healing power innate in nature, making it available to those unable to venture outdoors.

The Healing Power of Nature

Decades of research have confirmed the myriad benefits of spending time in natural settings, a list of which I can share here. We know that nature can have profoundly positive effects on both mental and physical well-being. Key among these are the effects associated with "Shinrin-Yoku" or "forest bathing" practices in Japan that bolster the human immune system. To learn more, click here.

Theories Explaining Nature’s Effect on Human Health

  • Biophilia Hypothesis: Proposed by E.O. Wilson, this theory suggests that humans, having evolved in natural environments, have an innate connection to nature.
  • Attention Restoration Theory: This theory explains how exposure to nature helps refresh our ability to focus.
  • Stress Reduction Theory: Postulates that we have a physiological calming response (parasympathetic activation) when we are in nature, helping us recover from stress.

Studying nature's benefits doesn't require endless hours in the outdoors; even nature images (photographs or virtual windows) can help. In my lab in Finland, we have experimented with displaying nature videos on a large TV screen - a surprisingly effective stress buster!

Virtual Reality and Nature

Given the capabilities of our current generation of virtual reality technology (like Oculus and PlayStation VR), we can turn to VR to understand the power of the body's response to what we perceive visually. Drawing from personal experiences and the research of visionary scientists like Bob Stone, I became inspired to consider: if nature can improve your health in real life, can virtual reality elicit the same response?

The Study

For my Master's thesis, under the guidance of Dr. Browning, we conducted an experiment to understand where virtual nature falls in the spectrum of mental and physiological benefits, ranging from no exposure to nature to being immersed in a real natural environment.

We employed a 360 panoramic camera to create a film shown through a Samsung Gear VR headset. Participants were divided into three groups: exposed to real nature, observed the same environment in VR, and those who remained indoors facing a blank wall. We then analyzed the changes in their moods and physiological arousal levels. The goal was to see the impact on 'positive affect' (good mood) and 'negative affect' (bad mood).

Results

The research concluded that real nature gives the best outcomes as expected, but where access to real nature wasn't possible, virtual nature can serve as a good alternative. It didn't necessarily increase positive affect but importantly it prevented a reduction in positive affect, acting as a buffer.

Takeaways

Curious about how to use virtual reality to harness the power of nature? Nowadays, there are affordable VR headsets and nature relaxation applications available. For those interested, I highly recommend the 'Spheres VR' videos by Erick Fassbender - high-quality nature films with optional guided meditations. Even if you can't access VR, you can always watch panoramic nature videos on YouTube or other streaming channels.

A Call to Care for Your Mental Health

Remember: in these trying times, it's crucial to take care of your mental health. Use the resources around you - whether that's a walk in the park, time spent in a VR headset immersed in a lush forest, or reaching out to a friend or a professional for support.

If you have further questions about the power of nature in VR and its potential for boosting mental health, please connect with me via my website - VR DEV ct.com, or LinkedIn. Let's keep this important conversation going. Anyone struggling with mental health matters is never alone. There are always resources and help available.

Your mental health matters. Take care.


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