# Psychophysiological effects of traditional cycling, virtual reality-enhanced cycling, and passive virtual reality exposure in young adults: A controlled within-subject study

## TL;DR

VR-enhanced cycling boosts enjoyment and self-efficacy in young adults without affecting heart rate or blood pressure compared to traditional cycling.

## Contribution

This study is the first to compare psychophysiological responses to traditional cycling, VR-enhanced cycling, and passive VR in young adults.

## Key findings

- VR cycling and traditional cycling similarly increased heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate.
- VR cycling improved self-efficacy and enjoyment more than other conditions.
- Passive VR exposure did not significantly alter physiological responses.

## Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) offers a promising tool to enhance engagement in physical activity, but the independent and combined effects of VR on physiological and psychological responses remain underexplored in young adults.

To compare acute psychophysiological responses to traditional cycling, VR-enhanced cycling, and passive VR exposure (VR-noEx) in healthy young adults.

In this randomized, counterbalanced within-subject study, 60 healthy university students aged 18 years or older completed three 10-minute sessions with 10-minute seated rest between conditions: (1) traditional cycling, (2) cycling with VR, and (3) VR-noEx (VR with no exercise). Outcome measures included self-efficacy, enjoyment, perceived exertion, heart rate (HR), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP), and respiratory rate (RR). Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA with post-hoc Bonferroni corrections, and effect sizes were calculated (Cohen’s d).

Both cycling conditions significantly increased HR (33–35 bpm), SBP (14–17 mmHg), and RR (5.8–6.5 breaths/min) compared to rest (all p < .001), with no significant differences between VR cycling and traditional cycling. VR-noEx did not significantly alter HR or BP relative to rest. VR cycling produced higher self-efficacy and enjoyment than other conditions (p < .05), with small-to-moderate effects and comparable cardiovascular activation.

VR-enhanced cycling improves self-efficacy and enjoyment without reducing cardiovascular activation, whereas passive VR alone does not confer exercise benefits, suggesting VR-assisted exercise enhances positive psychological responses relevant to physical activity engagement.