There is loads of research showing that spending time in nature is good for your health and well-being. But not everyone lives near a park or can easily get outdoors. So, what happens when you bring nature into your home via TV? A new study finds that a virtual nature experience can have some of the same effects.
The researchers wanted to see if the same positive impacts of being out in nature would translate to experiencing nature virtually, study co -author Alex Smalley, PhD student and researcher on the Virtual Nature project in the U. K, tells Treehugger. “We were particularly interested in relieving boredom because it’s a negative state commonly experienced by older people in care homes,” he says.
For the study, researchers brought 96 adults into a lab and caused boredom by having them watch a four-minute video of a man discussing his work at an office supply company. Then, the study participants experienced scenes of an underwater coral reef scene from the BBC’s “Blue Planet 11” series. They either watched it on TV, watched with a virtual reality headset using 360-degree video, or watched with a virtual reality headset using computer- generated interactive pictures.
Researchers found that all three methods minimized negative feelings like sadness and significantly lowered boredom. The interactive virtual reality experience actually increased positive feelings, such as happiness, and strengthened the connections people said they had to nature.
Originally, the impetus behind the study was to research benefits for people who are stuck indoors, such as those in nursing homes or people recovering from illness. But there are entirely new positive results in today’s world due to COVID-19, “We never imagined a disease would mean the results might apply to such a wide part of the global population,” Smalley says. “We’ d always recommend trying to get out into nature wherever possible but for those who can’t, our findings suggest that digital experiences of nature could provide a short-term fix.”
【小题1】What does Paragraph 2 mainly focus on?| A．The purpose of the research. |
| B．The analysis of the research results. |
| C．The positive effects of being out in nature. |
| D．The negative state older people experience. |
| A．Profit. | B．Theory. |
| C．Motivation. | D．Application. |
| A．Some of them still remain to be further confirmed. |
| B．They fall short of researchers’ initial expectations. |
| C．Some of them are not practical in times of COVID-19. |
| D．They are unexpectedly helpful to a wide range of people. |
| A．The Future of Virtual Nature in Nursing Homes |
| B．Watching Nature Virtually Boosts Mood and Eases Boredom |
| C．Being Out in Nature Benefits Both Health and Well-being . |
| D．Suitable Methods of Enjoying Virtual Nature for Sick People |
