A systematic review examined virtual-reality-based mindfulness interventions and their effects on psychological and physiological health. Psychological benefits included improved anxiety, mindfulness, emotions, stress, and sleep-related arousal. Physiological effects involved changes in heart rate, heart rate variability, pain, blood pressure, cortisol, and galvanic skin resistance. Most studies were single sessions lasting 5 or 10 minutes, often in nature-based virtual environments. Attention regulation was identified as a primary mechanism. More research has been conducted in the last six years, especially by North American and South Korean authors. The review calls for more rigorous, true-experimental studies and longer interventions to assess long-term effects.
After performing a mentally draining self-control task (the Stroop test), basketball free-throw accuracy and football penalty-kick precision under pressure were better when participants then spent 15 minutes in a virtual-reality mindfulness breathing meditation with biofeedback, compared with a 15-minute rest break. In experiment 1 (18 basketball players) and experiment 2 (16 football players), the brief VR meditation counteracted the negative effects of ego depletion and enhanced motor-skill performance under pressure. The findings suggest that combining virtual reality, mindfulness, and biofeedback can help restore self-control resources and improve sports performance after mental fatigue.
A replication study with 45 participants (average age 22.9 years; 30 men, 15 women) tested a mobile virtual reality (VR) mindfulness breathing meditation combined with biofeedback over six consecutive days (average session length 8 minutes 52 seconds). Positive effects were observed on diaphragmatic breathing, breathing awareness, heart and respiratory rates, momentary relaxation, burnout symptoms, and relaxation-related self-efficacy. Several benefits persisted one week and one month after the intervention. High user satisfaction confirmed the feasibility of the VR intervention. The authors argue that replication studies are important for demonstrating the health effects of VR-based mindfulness breathing meditation with integrated biofeedback.