Are Virtual Forests Just for Relaxation, or Can They Enhance the Benefits of Therapy?

• DOI: 10.3390/healthcare13060621
• Publication Date: 2025-03-13T10:53:00Z
• Authors: You Zhi Hu; Max Beggs; Yu Xue; Sinuo Gao; Junyoung Seok; Yawen Xiao; Ziqi Zhou; Yifei Zhou; Alex Mariakakis; Mark Chignell

Forest bathing (Shinrin-Yoku in Japanese) is used as an intervention for improving mental health, with VR being used to create virtual forests for relaxation. Background/Objectives: In this research, we added therapeutic intent to a virtual forest with the goal of reducing social anxiety, with and without therapeutic instruction. Methods: Fifty-eight first-year psychology students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: virtual forest only, therapeutic exercises only, and both combined. Results: All three conditions enhanced restorative effects equally. However, only the therapeutic exercise-only condition showed a tendency to reduce social anxiety. Participants in the combined condition reported more positive experiences and showed better comprehension of therapy content in the virtual forest. Conclusions: While the non-VR approach may offer immediate relaxation and possible anxiety reduction, combining the virtual forest with therapeutic exercises may yield better outcomes for sustained engagement and understanding over multiple therapeutic sessions.