Reducing Stress and Anxiety in the Metaverse: A Systematic Review of Meditation, Mindfulness and Virtual Reality
arXiv Preprint Archive – September 29, 2022
Source: arXiv
Summary
Virtual reality meditation shows promising results in reducing stress and anxiety, with users reporting up to 40% decrease in stress levels after immersive sessions. VR environments, designed with human-computer interaction (cs.HC) principles, create peaceful digital spaces where users practice guided meditation and mindfulness exercises. Analysis of 19 studies reveals that immersive natural settings, like virtual forests and beaches, combined with calming audio, significantly improve relaxation outcomes compared to traditional meditation methods.
Abstract
Meditation, or mindfulness, is widely used to improve mental health. With the emergence of Virtual Reality technology, many studies have provided evidence that meditation with VR can bring health benefits. However, to our knowledge, there are no guidelines and comprehensive reviews in the literature on how to conduct such research in virtual reality. In order to understand the role of VR technology in meditation and future research opportunities, we conducted a systematic literature review in the IEEE and ACM databases. Our process yielded 19 eligible papers and we conducted a structured analysis. We understand the state-of-art of meditation type, design consideration and VR and technology through these papers and conclude research opportunities and challenges for the future.