What does this research mean for the field?

Natural virtual reality environments enhance specific psychological flow dimensions and enjoyment during cycling compared to traditional cycling without VR. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.NOVEL_FINDING. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.SUPPORTS_CONSENSUS.

What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to determine how natural and urban virtual environments affect exercise and psychological responses during cycling.

February 25, 2026Open Access

The impact of natural and urban environmental settings on exercise and perceptual responses during virtual reality-based exercise.

Key Points

This research aims to determine how natural and urban virtual environments affect exercise and psychological responses during cycling.
Twenty-three physically active young adults participated in three conditions: No VR, Nature VR, and Urban VR.
Participants completed 10 minutes of self-paced indoor cycling in each condition.
Exercise metrics such as power output, speed, heart rate, and perceived exertion were recorded.
Participants completed Flow State Scale and Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale after each condition.
No significant differences were observed in exercise variables across conditions.
Nature VR participants reported higher Action-Awareness Merging, Loss of Self-Consciousness, and Unambiguous Feedback compared to No VR.
Both VR conditions had significantly higher Autotelic Experience and Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale scores compared to No VR.

Abstract

Introduction: Exercise in virtual reality (VR) is engaging and provides a positive experience, contributing to long-term adherence. Psychological responses such as flow, a state of optimal engagement, and enjoyment, may contribute to these benefits. However, it is unclear whether different virtual environments influence psychological and exercise responses during cycling. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of a natural and an urban non-immersive VR environment versus traditional cycling on exercise and perceptual responses during cycling exercise. Methods: Twenty-three physically active young adults completed 10 minutes of self-paced indoor cycling in three randomized conditions: No VR, and VR with Nature (Nature VR) and Urban (Urban VR) scenes. Power output, speed, heart rate, and Rating of Perceived Exertion were recorded. After each condition, participants completed Flow State Scale (FSS) and Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES). Repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to evaluate exercise and perceptual responses across conditions. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: No significant differences were found between conditions for exercise variables. The Nature VR condition reached higher values for Action-Awareness Merging (4.19 ± 0.64), Loss of Self-Consciousness (4.46 ± 0.54), and Unambiguous Feedback (3.85 ± 0.66) compared with No VR (Action-Awareness Merging = 3.59 ± 0.90; Loss of Self-Consciousness = 3.76 ± 1.00; and Unambiguous Feedback = 3.25 ± 0.64). Both VR conditions showed significant differences in Autotelic Experience (Nature = 3.92 ± 0.61; Urban = 3.76 ± 0.59) and PACES (Nature = 30.34 ± 3.88; Urban = 29.08 ± 4.32) compared to No VR (Autotelic Experience = 3.04 ± 0.84; PACES = 25.34 ± 4.40). Discussion: Nature VR provided additional benefits on specific flow dimensions compared with No VR cycling. These findings support the use of non-immersive VR, particularly nature scenes, as a strategy to improve the exercise experience, potentially supporting exercise adherence.

The impact of natural and urban environmental settings on exercise and perceptual responses during virtual reality-based exercise.

Key Points

Abstract

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