scholarly journals Restore or Get Restored: The Effect of Control on Stress Reduction and Restoration in Virtual Nature Settings

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1995
Author(s):  
Gerhard Reese ◽  
Elias Kohler ◽  
Claudia Menzel
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Control Beliefs ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Main Effect ◽  
Before And After ◽  
And Control

Virtual nature experiences can improve physiological and psychological well-being. Although there is ample research on the positive effects of nature, both in virtual and physical settings, we know little about potential moderators of restoration effects in virtual reality settings. According to theories of needs and control beliefs, it is plausible to assume that control over one’s actions affects how people respond to nature experiences. In this virtual reality (VR) experiment, 64 participants either actively navigated through a VR landscape or they were navigated by the experimenter. We measured their perceived stress, mood, and vitality before and after the VR experience as well as the subjective restoration outcome and the perceived restorativeness of the landscape afterwards. Results revealed that participants’ positive affective states increased after the VR experience, regardless of control. There was a main effect such that participants reported lower stress after the VR experience; however, this was qualified by an interaction showing that this result was only the case in the no control condition. These results unexpectedly suggest that active VR experiences may be more stressful than passive ones, opening pathways for future research on how handling of and navigating in VR can attenuate the effects of virtual nature.

scholarly journals Restore or get restored: The effect of control on stress reduction and restoration in virtual nature settings

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerhard Reese ◽  
Elias Kohler ◽  
Claudia Menzel
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Control Beliefs ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Main Effect ◽  
Before And After ◽  
And Control

Virtual nature experiences can improve physiological and psychological well-being. While there is ample research on the positive effects of nature, both in virtual and physical settings, we know little about potential moderators of restoration effects in virtual reality settings. According to theories of needs and control beliefs, it is plausible to assume that control over one’s actions affects how people respond to nature experiences. In this Virtual Reality (VR) experiment, 64 participants could either actively navigate through a VR landscape or they were navigated by the experimenter. We measured their perceived stress, mood, and vitality before and after the VR experience, as well as subjective restoration outcome and perceived restorativeness of the landscape afterwards. Results revealed that participants’ positive affective states increased after the VR experience, regardless of control. There was also a main effect such that participants reported lower stress after the VR experience – however, qualified by an interaction showing that this was only the case in the “no control” condition. These results suggest that - unexpectedly - active VR experiences may be more stressful than passive ones, opening pathways for future research on how handling of and navigating in VR can attenuate effects of virtual nature.

scholarly journals Enable, Reconnect and Augment: A New ERA of Virtual Nature Research and Application

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 1738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sigbjørn Litleskare ◽  
Tadhg E. MacIntyre ◽  
Giovanna Calogiuri
Keyword(s):  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
High Quality Research ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Real Nature

Being exposed to natural environments is associated with improved health and well-being, as these environments are believed to promote feelings of “being away” from everyday struggles, positive emotional reactions and stress reduction. Despite these positive effects, humanity is becoming increasingly more distanced from nature due to societal changes, such as increased urbanization and the reduced accessibility of natural environments. Technology is also partly to blame, as research suggests that people replace nature contact with increased screen time. In this cross-section between nature and technology, we find technological nature which is progressing towards a point where we may be capable of simulating exposure to real nature. Concerns have been raised regarding this technology, as it is feared it will replace real nature. However, research suggests that virtual nature may have a more positive impact on society than a mere replacement of real nature, and this review propose several areas where virtual nature may be a beneficial addition to actual nature (Enable), help people reconnect with the real natural world (Reconnect) and “boost” human-nature interactions (Augment). Based on the current research and theoretical framework, this review proposes guidelines for future research within these areas, with the aim of advancing the field by producing high quality research.

scholarly journals Virtual reality-based relaxation for enhancement of perioperative well-being and quality of life: protocol for a randomised pilot trial

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. e044193
Author(s):  
Matthias Christian Schrempf ◽  
Julian Quirin Petzold ◽  
Hugo Vachon ◽  
Morten Aagaard Petersen ◽  
Johanna Gutschon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Sample Size ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Pilot Trial ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Coping Resources ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
Sample Size Calculations

IntroductionPatients with cancer undergoing surgery often suffer from reduced quality of life and various forms of distress. Untreated distress can negatively affect coping resources as well as surgical and oncological outcomes. A virtual reality-based stress reduction intervention may increase quality of life and well-being and reduce distress in the perioperative phase for patients with cancer. This pilot trial aims to explore the feasibility of the proposed intervention, assess patient acceptability and obtain estimates of effect to provide data for sample size calculations.Methods and analysisPatients with colorectal cancer and liver metastasis undergoing elective surgery will be recruited for this single-centre, randomised pilot trial with a three-arm design. A total of 54 participants will be randomised at 1:1:1 ratio to one of two intervention groups or a control receiving standard treatment. Those randomised to an intervention group will either receive perioperative virtual reality-based stress reduction exercises twice daily or listen to classical music twice daily. Primary feasibility outcomes are number and proportions of participants recruited, screened, consented and randomised. Furthermore, adherence to the intervention, compliance with the completion of the quality of life questionnaires and feasibility of implementing the trial procedures will be assessed. Secondary clinical outcomes are measurements of the effectiveness of the interventions to inform sample size calculations.Ethics and disseminationThe study protocol, the patient information and the informed consent form have been approved by the ethics committee of the Ludwigs-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany (Reference Number: 19–915). Study findings will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration numberDRKS00020909.

scholarly journals Perceived Control and Aging: A Mini-Review and Directions for Future Research

Gerontology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 435-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie A. Robinson ◽  
Margie E. Lachman
Keyword(s):  
Sex Education ◽  
Perceived Control ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Reciprocal Relationship ◽  
Control Beliefs ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
As Stress ◽  
Health And Well Being

This brief review on perceived control and aging is organized according to 3 perspectives of research involving description, explanation, and modification. An extensive body of literature has utilized cross-sectional and correlational methods to describe the sociodemographic variations and outcomes associated with perceived control. This work has focused on differences in perceived control as a function of age, sex, education, socioeconomic status, and culture and has identified positive associations with many aging-related outcomes involving health and well-being. With growing evidence regarding the health benefits of perceived control in the context of a declining sense of control with aging, there has been an increased effort to uncover the mechanisms involved, with the hopes of developing methods to maintain and/or promote adaptive control beliefs throughout adulthood. Through longitudinal and experimental work, researchers are beginning to clarify the directionality and elucidate the mechanisms to explain the associations. Recent evidence from longitudinal studies shows that control beliefs have an impact on subsequent changes in health. Yet, the findings suggest that it is not a unidirectional relationship. A conceptual model suggesting an ongoing reciprocal relationship between perceived control and health and well-being is discussed. Research examining the mechanisms that link perceived control to aging-related outcomes can help to inform and to develop effective interventions that are tailored to the individual's specific barriers and goals. We consider new directions for research, including more attention to intraindividual variability and reactivity to daily challenges, such as stress, with the goal of advancing our understanding of how perceived control contributes to aging-related outcomes. More work is needed to develop strategies to enhance control beliefs in later life. Although it will not always be possible to modify control beliefs, researchers can take these beliefs into account when developing interventions. A personalized approach is recommended as a way to tailor interventions that are compatible with individuals' beliefs about control to facilitate adaptive behavior change. Conclusions focus on selected issues and considerations for future research.

scholarly journals Clinical instructors’ perceptions of virtual reality in health professionals’ cardiopulmonary resuscitation education

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 205031211879960 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Ann Mae En Wong ◽  
Shien Chue ◽  
Michelle Jong ◽  
Ho Wye Kei Benny ◽  
Nabil Zary
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ◽  
Clinical Education ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Memory Enhancement ◽  
Current Health ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Before And After ◽  
And Performance

Objectives: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is lifesaving. Yet, cardiac arrest survival remains low despite CPR intervention. Education has been highlighted as a strategy to overcome this issue. Virtual Reality technology has been gaining momentum in the field of clinical education. Published studies report benefits of virtual reality for CPR education; yet, perceptions of CPR instructors towards virtual reality remain unexplored. CPR instructors are key stakeholders in CPR education and their perceptions are valuable for the design and adoption of virtual reality-enhanced learning. The purpose of this study is therefore to understand the perceptions of CPR instructors towards using virtual reality for health professionals’ CPR education. The aim was addressed via three research questions: (1) What are the perceptions of CPR instructors towards current health professionals’ CPR education? (2) What are the perceptions of CPR instructors towards features of virtual reality ideal for health professionals’ CPR education? (3) What are the perceptions of CPR instructors towards the potential role of virtual reality in health professionals’ CPR education? Methods: A total of 30 CPR instructors were surveyed on their views towards current health professionals’ CPR education and the use of virtual reality for health professionals’ CPR education, before and after interacting with a CPR virtual reality simulation. Responses were analysed using interpretative thematic analysis. Results: CPR instructors perceived current health professionals’ CPR education as limited due to unideal test preparation (resources, practice, motivation, and frame of mind) and performance. They perceived fidelity, engagement, resource conservation, and memory enhancement as features of virtual reality ideal for health professionals’ CPR education. Virtual reality was viewed by CPR instructors as having potential as a blended learning tool, targeting both ‘novice’ and ‘experienced’ health professionals. Conclusion: The study highlighted the gaps in current health professionals’ CPR education that can be addressed using virtual-reality-enabled learning. Future research could investigate virtual reality simulations with features desirable for CPR education of target populations.

scholarly journals Humor in Psychiatry: Lessons From Neuroscience, Psychopathology, and Treatment Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Berger ◽  
Florian Bitsch ◽  
Irina Falkenberg
Keyword(s):  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Close Association ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Diseases ◽  
Systematic Training ◽  
Treatment Research

Humor is a ubiquitous human characteristic that is socially motivated at its core and has a broad range of significant positive effects on emotional well-being and interpersonal relationships. Simultaneously, however, impairments in humor abilities have often been described in close association with the occurrence and course of neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, social anxiety, or depression. In the past decade, research in the neuroimaging and psychiatric domain has substantially progressed to (i) characterize impaired humor as an element of psychopathology, and (ii) shed light on the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the role of humor in neuropsychiatric diseases. However, (iii) targeted interventions using concepts of positive psychology have revealed first evidence that a systematic training and/or a potential reactivation of humor-related skills can improve rehabilitative outcome in neuropsychiatric patient groups. Here, we sought to integrate evidence from neuroscience, as well as from psychopathology and treatment research to shed more light on the role of humor in psychiatry. Based on these considerations, we provide directions for future research and application in mental health services, focusing on the question of how our scientific understanding of humor can provide the basis for psychological interventions that foster positive attitudes and well-being.

scholarly journals RETIREES’ MEMORIES OF WORK LIFE AND WELL-BEING AFTER RETIREMENT: A QUALITATIVE INQUIRY

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S309-S310
Author(s):  
Tina Hahnel ◽  
Sabine Hommelhoff ◽  
Hsiao-Wen Liao
Keyword(s):  
Life Story ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Workplace Relationships ◽  
Work Lives ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Positive Meaning ◽  
Difficult Times

Abstract Reminiscence research has grown immensely in the past 30 years. Yet, research on personal memories of work lives is lacking. This is surprising because work is a crucial aspect of many people’s lives and an important life story chapter (Thomsen, Pillemer, & Ivcevic, 2011). Part of a larger project, the present qualitative study aimed to understand (1) what retirees remember about their work lives and (2) whether and how retirees tie those memories to their current well-being. Six in-depth interviews on lives before and after retirement (4 women and 2 men with different careers, age range 65 to 87 years) were conducted and transcribed verbatim. Findings of a thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) revealed that participants reported both big and small stories. They first narrated landmark events (e.g., job loss after the Fall of the German Wall) and continued to recount many little incidents (e.g., a child asking an unretiring teacher if she is now "done with retirement”). Additionally, participants not only reminisced about work itself (i.e., what jobs were like) but equally about workplace relationships (e.g., particularly positive or negative relations with supervisors). Despite difficult times at work, participants reported that they were now at peace with how things went and generally satisfied with their current lives. We discuss how the type (i.e., big or small) and content (i.e., work- or relationship-focused) of retirees’ memories and positive meaning-making (i.e., recounting work lives in a positive light) may contribute to well-being and propose a conceptual model for future research.

scholarly journals Counting sleep: Ambiguity, aspirational control and the politics of digital self-tracking at work

Organization ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 135050842097047
Author(s):  
Kasper Trolle Elmholdt ◽  
Claus Elmholdt ◽  
Lars Haahr
Keyword(s):  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Energy Company ◽  
Remote Management ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
And Control

Existing perspectives on normative and aspirational control have undertheorised how digital technologies such as digital self-tracking might alter what kinds of control is possible in the workplace. This article remedies this lack by studying the affordances of digital self-tracking in the workplace. Empirically, we draw on a case study of digital sleeptracking in relation to a well-being initiative in a private energy company, Encorp. Our analysis reveals how digital self-tracking affords body visibility and remote management but also creates affordance opacity and an ambiguous space of autonomy and control. We theorise how digital self-tracking in the workplace both enables new forms of aspirational control, and creates ambiguity and new limits to control. We conclude by discussing challenges and opportunities for future research on digital self-tracking in the workplace.

scholarly journals Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual (LGB) Young Adults’ Relational Well-Being Before and After Taiwanese Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage: A Qualitative Study Protocol

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 160940692093339
Author(s):  
Yu-Te Huang
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychosocial Health ◽  
Marriage Equality ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Same Sex Marriage ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Before And After ◽  
And Bisexual

In 2019, Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. Such an historic shift in the legal landscape toward marriage equality in Taiwan presents a timely and unique opportunity to investigate the interplay of a lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB)-affirmative policy (i.e., marriage equality) and the well-being of LGB people. Existing quantitative studies on same-sex marriage have yielded compelling evidence about its positive effects on LGB individuals’ psychosocial health. However, no research has examined the relational dimension of the effect associated with same-sex marriage policy. Furthermore, a relational focus requires a researcher to solicit narratives from LGB young adults’ significant others (e.g., parents). This research project seeks to address these gaps by addressing whether legalization of same-sex marriage in Taiwan will improve Taiwanese LGB young adults’ relational well-being. Qualitative data were collected from 30 in-depth, dyadic interviews with 15 LGB young Taiwanese adults aged between 18 and 39 years and their parents. Each participant took part in two interviews conducted before and after the passage of the legalization of same-sex marriage, respectively. Transcribed interviews will be analyzed following an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) where we seek insight into a social actor’s inner perceptions in a wider context of social relationships. Multiple measures will be undertaken to ensure study rigor. Findings from this study will add to the evaluative endeavors of marriage equality policy enacted in Taiwan by highlighting relational well-being and the perspectives of LGB young adults’ relevant others.

Is Formal Ethics Training Merely Cosmetic? A Study of Ethics Training and Ethical Organizational Culture

2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle E. Warren ◽  
Joseph P. Gaspar ◽  
William S. Laufer
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Training Session ◽  
Organizational Values ◽  
Ethics Training ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Ethics Programs ◽  
Normative Structure ◽  
Ethical Organizational Culture ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Before And After

ABSTRACT:U.S. Organizational Sentencing Guidelines provide firms with incentives to develop formal ethics programs to promote ethical organizational cultures and thereby decrease corporate offenses. Yet critics argue such programs are cosmetic. Here we studied bank employees before and after the introduction of formal ethics training—an important component of formal ethics programs—to examine the effects of training on ethical organizational culture. Two years after a single training session, we find sustained, positive effects on indicators of an ethical organizational culture (observed unethical behavior, intentions to behave ethically, perceptions of organizational efficacy in managing ethics, and the firm’s normative structure). While espoused organizational values also rose in importance post-training, the boost dissipated after the second year which suggests perceptions of values are not driving sustained behavioral improvements. This finding conflicts with past theory which asserts that enduring behavioral improvements arise from the inculcation of organizational values. Implications for future research are discussed.

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