Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Based on Slow-Paced Breathing With Immersive Virtual Reality Nature Scenery

Frontiers in Psychology

article

Johannes Blum¹  Anja S. Göritz¹ 

[1] Department of Occupational and Consumer Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg

关键词: virtual reality;    nature environment;    heart rate variability;    biofeedback;    relaxation self-efficacy;    mind wandering;    attentional focus;    attentional resources;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02172

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

This study investigated the benefits of using a virtual nature environment to administer immersive heart rate variability biofeedback (HRV-BF) based on slow-paced breathing. We compared the virtual reality (VR)-based HRV-BF with a standard implementation in a randomized controlled experiment with 60 healthy employees. After a cognitive stress induction, the participants performed a single-session of HRV-BF before repeating the cognitive stressor task. VR-based versus standard HRV-BF was comparable in terms of biofeedback performance (cardiac coherence and cardiac vagal tone). However, the VR-based implementation buffered perceived stress in the subsequent stressor task, increased relaxation self-efficacy more, reduced mind wandering, helped participants focus on the present moment, and helped preserve attentional resources. Potential long-term effects and generalizability need to be assessed in future research.

【 授权许可】

CC BY