Virtual nature showed no clear advantage over flat-screen nature for student wellbeing
Many studies reported improvements after virtual nature exposure, but direct comparisons with flat-screen nature did not show significant mood, anxiety or stress advantages.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Students often reported better mood, anxiety or stress after experiencing virtual nature. However, studies directly comparing virtual nature with flat-screen nature found no statistically significant differences in those outcomes. Improvement after an experience does not by itself establish that virtual reality caused the change or added benefit beyond viewing nature on a screen.
Most articles were rated fair or poor quality, and the authors caution about sample sizes. The abstract provides no pooled effect estimates or intervention durations, leaving the magnitude and persistence of changes unclear.
What researchers found
Anxiety, mood and stress
Virtual nature versus flat-screen nature in the studies assessing each outcome; assessment timing and effect estimates were not reported in the abstract.
Before-and-after changes
The review counted studies reporting favorable changes after exposure, including self-reported and physiological outcomes. Those counts describe how often a pattern appeared; they do not quantify the average benefit or establish a comparison-group advantage.
What the comparison supports
The direct flat-screen comparisons address whether immersion added measurable benefit for mood, anxiety and stress. Their nonsignificant results leave that advantage unestablished, while also falling short of proving the approaches are equivalent.
The original publication
A systematic literature review and meta-analysis of virtual reality nature effects on higher education students' mental health and wellbeing.
Hubbard G, Verde PA, Barrable A et al.
Appl Psychol Health Well Being · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40908577
- Record checked
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