Virtual reality to promote visitation of actual natural environments – An exploratory mixed-methods study

Objective: The salutogenic effects of human-nature interactions, especially in form of active visits to natural environments (i.e., green exercise), are well known. Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as an effective supplement behaviour-change interventions, and may be therefore valuable in promoting green exercise. The purpose of this study was to shed light on the potential of VR as a tool to promote green exercise, as well as apprise possible underlying mechanisms and factors influencing the impact of VR on the decision-making process. Methods: In three experimental trials, healthy adults (overall n = 136) viewed an existing urban green area through a fully immersive head-mounted display. Six experimental conditions were tested, which were characterized by different levels of scene-stability (un-stabilized vs. stabilized through electronic gimble or post-production editing) and physical exertion (sitting vs. walking on a manually-driven treadmill). The Intention to perform green exercise questionnaire (INT-GE) was administered before and after the VR exposure, while Intent to visit the actual location was assessed after the exposure. Qualitative data were collected among a sub-set of participants (n = 65). Results: INT-GE increased significantly after all the stabilized VR conditions, but not after a control or the un-stabilized VR conditions. The ratings of intent to visit the actual location tended to be higher in the stabilized VR conditions than the un-stabilized ones. Qualitative analysis revealed the impact of VR on behaviour regulation, highlighting the pivotal role of anticipated emotional benefits. Despite some scepticism, VR aroused curiosity to explore natural environments, which was associated with nostalgic and socio-cultural underpinnings. Conclusions: These findings indicate that VR has the potential to promote green exercise by triggering curiosity and anticipated emotional benefits, though the quality of the VR product may influence its impact. More research is needed in order to establish how to best design VR interventions within green exercise promotion.