Psychophysiological mechanisms underlying the effects of outdoor green and virtual green exercise during self-paced walking

Mavrantza, Angeliki M; Bigliassi, Marcelo; Calogiuri, Giovanna

doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.12.006

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…Participants of multiple interventions were indirectly exposed to nature while exercising through viewing pictures [ 76 ] or videos [ 77 , 78 ] of nature. In these studies, participants experienced greater pleasure [ 77 ], decreased mood disturbance [ 76 ], greater parasympathetic nervous system activity [ 79 ], and reported that the experience was calm and positive [ 78 ]. Compared to those who prefer exercising indoors, those who prefer outdoor exercise have exhibited greater attention and lower stress after looking at pictures of nature [ 80 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interactions with Nature, Good for the Mind and Body: A Narrative Review

Stott,

Forde,

Sharma

et al. 2024

IJERPH

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Interacting with nature may promote mental and physical health. There are multiple ways to interact with nature: indirectly, incidentally, and intentionally. How these types of interactions with nature may be associated with mental and physical health status and health behaviors is unclear. The purpose of this narrative review is to (1) describe the relationship between interactions with nature (indirect, incidental, and intentional) and mental and physical health outcomes and behaviors, (2) identify gaps in the literature, and (3) provide recommendations for future research. Considerable evidence suggests that interacting with nature, indirectly and intentionally, is associated with improvements in mental health and physical exhibitions of mental status. Furthermore, intentionally interacting with nature is associated with engagement in physical activity and gardening is associated with fruit and vegetable consumption. Research suggests that incidentally interacting with nature may be associated with positive mental health status. More research is needed to understand the relationships between incidental interactions with nature and physical health status and behaviors; as well as among all types of interactions with nature and physical health disorders, sleep, and dietary behaviors.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interactions with Nature, Good for the Mind and Body: A Narrative Review

Stott,

Forde,

Sharma

et al. 2024

IJERPH

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“…Brain imaging studies could validate these findings and link them to environmental neuroscience 41 . Exposure to outdoor environments 20,[42][43][44][45] and virtual nature [44][45][46][47][48][49] can elicit electrical activation and blood flow changes in brain regions associated with mental health. Distinguishing the clinical conditions studied here is available with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) 28 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Daily exposure to virtual nature reduces symptoms of anxiety in college students

Browning

Shin

Drong

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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Exposure to natural environments offers an array of mental health benefits. Virtual reality provides simulated experiences of being in nature when outdoor access is limited. Previous studies on virtual nature have focused mainly on single "doses" of virtual nature. The effects of repeated exposure remain poorly understood. Motivated by this gap, we studied the influence of a daily virtual nature intervention on symptoms of anxiety, depression, and an underlying cause of poor mental health: rumination. Forty college students (58% non-Hispanic White, median age = 19) were recruited from two U.S. universities and randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. Over several weeks, anxious arousal (panic) and anxious apprehension (worry) decreased with virtual nature exposure. Participants identifying as women, past VR users, experienced with the outdoors, and engaged with the beauty in nature benefited particularly strongly from virtual nature. Virtual nature did not help symptoms of anhedonic depression or rumination. Further research is necessary to distinguish when and for whom virtual nature interventions impact mental health outcomes.

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“…This insight is particularly relevant in a society grappling with sedentary lifestyles and stress-related health issues. Integrating mindfulness practices into technology-mediated PA could present a holistic approach to health promotion [ 22 , 26 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As of today, only a few studies have examined the difference between outdoor activities and indoor activities that incorporate AR and VR technologies [ 22 , 23 ], and none of them have specifically explored the coastal environment. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the impact of outdoor coastal walking (OUT) and indoor walking in a VR simulation (INVR) with a similar environment on some physiological (i.e., heart rate) and psychological (i.e., enjoyment levels and mindfulness experiences) measures in healthy adults.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Coastal Walking Outdoors and Virtual Reality Indoor Walking on Heart Rate, Enjoyment Levels and Mindfulness Experiences in Healthy Adults

Greco,

Centrone,

Poli

et al. 2023

JFMK

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Outdoor exercise is beneficial for psychophysical well-being. Limited studies have compared outdoor and virtual reality (VR) indoor physical activities, especially in coastal settings. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the impact of outdoor coastal walking and indoor walking in a VR simulation with a similar environment on physiological and psychological variables in healthy adults. A total of 26 subjects (14 M and 12 F, age 25.2 ± 2.5 years) voluntarily participated in this crossover randomized controlled and counterbalanced study and were allocated under three conditions: VR indoor walking (INVR), outdoor walking (OUT) and standard indoor walking (IN). IN and INVR conditions were performed on a treadmill (speed 4.5 km/h) and the OUT was performed on a seaside pedestrian road. The same outdoor environment was displayed in the visor during the INVR. Heart rate (HRmean/max), physical activity enjoyment (PACES-It) and state of mindfulness for physical activity (SMS-PA) were assessed at the end of each condition. The OUT condition showed significantly greater PACES-It scores and HRmean than IN and INVR (p < 0.001) and greater SMS-PA scores and HRmax than IN (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively). No significant differences were found between OUT and INVR regarding HRmax and SMS-PA scores (p > 0.05). Findings suggest that physical activity in an immersive technology may lead to physiological loads comparable to the outdoor environment. OUT is more enjoyable than IN and INVR but exhibits a mindfulness response comparable to INVR. Therefore, INVR could be an alternative to OUT for those who cannot engage in outdoor activities for various reasons.

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Psychophysiological mechanisms underlying the effects of outdoor green and virtual green exercise during self-paced walking

Cited by 10 publications

References 73 publications

Interactions with Nature, Good for the Mind and Body: A Narrative Review

Interactions with Nature, Good for the Mind and Body: A Narrative Review

Daily exposure to virtual nature reduces symptoms of anxiety in college students

Impact of Coastal Walking Outdoors and Virtual Reality Indoor Walking on Heart Rate, Enjoyment Levels and Mindfulness Experiences in Healthy Adults

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