The Immediate Impact of Immersive VR Natural Scene Mindfulness Intervention on the Perceived Stress of Corporate Employees
Ke’er Cai, Siqi Wang
Springer Link June 30, 2026 DOI: 10.1051/shsconf/202623503005/pdf (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Enterprise employees |
| Interventions | audio-guided mindfulness intervention based on immersive VR natural scenes traditional closed-eye audio-guided mindfulness intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Calmness Intervention counseling Virtual reality Natural archaeology Alertness Psychological intervention Heart rate variability Applied psychology Randomized controlled trial Immersion mathematics Cognitive psychology Psychotherapist Stress linguistics Clinical psychology Arousal Dimension graph theory Personality |
| Key findings | The VR condition yielded greater improvements in heart rate variability and in the MDBF dimensions of alertness and calmness compared with the traditional condition, with no difference in pleasure. |
Abstract
High work pressure is a common problem for employees in the workplace. A mindfulness-based intervention (MBIs) is often used to relieve stress. Virtual reality (VR) offers an innovative and immersive approach, which is used to achieve mindfulness experiences based on natural scenarios. This study employed a randomized controlled trial (RCT), comparing the immediate psychological and physiological effects of an audio-guided mindfulness intervention based on immersive VR natural scenes and a traditional closed-eye audio-guided mindfulness intervention on enterprise employees. The findings indicate that the VR condition yielded greater improvements in heart rate variability (HRV) and in the MDBF dimensions of alertness and calmness compared with the traditional condition. On the dimension of pleasure, however, there was no discernible difference between the two groups. Research shows that a VR natural scene mindfulness intervention can immediately and significantly improve HRV, alertness and calmness of enterprise employees. This provides a new and feasible solution for organizations to manage the mental and physical health of their employees.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |