The Efficacy of a Virtual Reality-Based Mindfulness Intervention

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that a brief virtual reality-based mindfulness intervention is more effective at inducing a state of mindfulness than audio-based or control conditions, highlighting VR's potential in wellbeing practices.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence that VR-based mindfulness interventions are more effective than audio-based methods in laboratory settings.

Findings

VR-based and audio-based interventions increased mindfulness more than control.

VR intervention led to higher mindfulness levels than audio-based.

Results support VR as an effective tool for mindfulness training.

Abstract

Mindfulness can be defined as increased awareness of and sustained attentiveness to the present moment. Recently, there has been a growing interest in the applications of mindfulness for empirical research in wellbeing and the use of virtual reality (VR) environments and 3D interfaces as a conduit for mindfulness training. Accordingly, the current experiment investigated whether a brief VR-based mindfulness intervention could induce a greater level of state mindfulness, when compared to an audio-based intervention and control group. Results indicated two mindfulness interventions, VR-based and audio-based, induced a greater state of mindfulness, compared to the control group. Participants in the VR-based mindfulness intervention group reported a greater state of mindfulness than those in the guided audio group, indicating the immersive mindfulness intervention was more robust. Collectively, these results provide empirical support for the efficaciousness of a brief VR-based mindfulness intervention in inducing a robust state of mindfulness in laboratory settings.