A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development (MPIB) and the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) has demonstrated in a recent pilot study that virtual forest bathing can improve emotional well-being—especially if the virtual natural environment appeals to multiple senses, such as hearing, sight and smell, at once.

The results have been published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.

In Japan, Shinrin Yoku or forest bathing has already been used for therapeutic applications, for instance, to lower blood pressure and stress levels. For their study, the researchers wanted to find out whether forest bathing—consciously immersing oneself in nature—can also be effective when done virtually, and focused on whether the positive effect is stronger when several senses are addressed simultaneously.

For the project, a high-quality 360° VR video was produced in Europe’s largest Douglas fir forest, the Sonnenberg nature reserve near Parchim—complete with original sounds and the scent of essential oils from the Douglas fir.

The participants experienced the virtual forest scenery either as a full sensory experience (with images, sound and scent) or in a reduced form whereby forest stimuli appealing to just a single sense—visual, auditory or olfactory—were used.

In variants where only hearing or scent was activated, participants were placed in a neutral virtual environment to minimize visual stimuli and the influence of VR technology.

Significantly better effect with sensory combination

More than 130 participants were first put into an acute stress situation using stress-inducing images. Then, equipped with VR glasses, they experienced one of the four forest stimulation/ bathing variants.

The results show that the combination of all three sensory stimuli led to a significantly greater improvement in mood and a stronger feeling of connection with nature compared to when individual sensory stimuli were presented.

In addition to positive effects on mood, there were also limited improvements in working memory—the cognitive function that enables us to store, process and retrieve information in the short term.

However, the researchers point out that the effects are area-specific and cannot yet be considered universally valid. Further studies with larger samples are needed to confirm the results and provide a better understanding of the mechanisms behind the restorative effects of virtual nature experiences.

“We can already say that digital nature experiences can absolutely produce an emotional effect—even if they don’t replace actual nature,” reports Leonie Ascone, lead author of the study and researcher in the Neuronal Plasticity working group at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE).

Potential for clinics, waiting rooms and urban spaces

Simone Kühn, head of the study and Director of the Center for Environmental Neuroscience at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, adds, “Especially in places with limited access to nature—such as clinics, waiting areas or urban interiors—multisensory VR applications or targeted nature staging could support mental well-being.

“The images, sounds and scents of nature offer previously underestimated potential for improving mood and mental performance in everyday situations.”

Kühn conducts intensive research into the effects of the environment on the human brain and in a separate study, together with colleagues from universities in Vienna, Exeter and Birmingham, was recently able to prove that just from watching nature videos, patients perceive physical pain as less intense.