Virtual Reality and Exercise: Impacts on Affective Responses, Ratings of Perceived Exertion, Attention, and Rowing...

Area of Science:

• Exercise Science
• Virtual Reality Technology
• Sports Psychology

Background:

• Physical inactivity is a significant global health issue, contributing to obesity and other health problems.
• Affective variables like enjoyment are being explored to enhance physical activity (PA) engagement.
• Virtual reality (VR) may increase exercise enjoyment by redirecting attention from discomfort.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of different virtual reality (VR) environments on affective responses, perceived exertion, attention, and performance during aerobic rowing.
• To compare a VR head-mounted display (HMD) condition against a VR flat-screen display (VR FD) and a control (no VR) condition.

Main Methods:

• A within-subject design was employed with 30 participants completing three rowing conditions: VR HMD, VR FD, and control.
• Measurements included affective responses, ratings of perceived exertion, attention allocation, and performance metrics (power output).
• Data were analyzed to compare outcomes across the three distinct exercise environments.

Main Results:

• The VR HMD condition significantly increased dissociative attention and positive feeling scores compared to the control.
• Perceived exertion did not differ between conditions, but the VR HMD group showed a plateau in exertion after 15 minutes.
• The control condition resulted in higher power output than the VR HMD condition; post-exercise enjoyment was consistent across all conditions.

Conclusions:

• VR, especially with an HMD, can positively influence psychological responses during exercise, potentially increasing engagement.
• VR may alter the perception of exertion, with potential implications for sustained aerobic activity.
• This study provides preliminary evidence for VR as a tool to promote physical activity through enhanced user experience.