360° Virtual Reality Nature Immersion elicit the same psychological affect as the physical outdoors?

Connection to nature has been researched extensively over the last decade, with research showing that nature influences human wellbeing by reducing environmental stressors that occur in everyday life (Silvia et al., 2018). However, with more individuals living in cities with limited access to safe natural spaces, it's crucial to conduct research looking at alternatives to physical nature (Rigolon et al., 2018). One inexpensive and accessible way to provide this nature experience is through a 360° video in Virtual Reality (VR). Due to VR being a modern invention, there are limited studies looking at nature experiences using a 360° video in VR (Browning et al., 2020; Calogiuri et al., 2018). Consequently, this study aimed was to expand on this research by looking at the impacts that a 360° virtual reality natural environment has on psychological affect, in this case mood, in comparison to physical nature. This URSS project will hopefully provide a basis for the development of a virtual intervention that can be implemented in clinical settings and areas which have limited access to nature.