A Tree’s Perspective: Enhancing Nature Connectedness Through Transitional and Multisensory Virtual Reality Experiences

Paper Title

A Tree’s Perspective: Enhancing Nature Connectedness Through Transitional and Multisensory Virtual Reality Experiences

Publication Info

• Topic area: Virtual reality design for nature connectedness and environmental awareness.
• Keywords: Virtual reality, nature connectedness, tree embodiment, multisensory design, transitional design, presence, embodiment, environmental awareness, transformative experiences, biophilic design.

Background and Problem

• Problem / challenge: Prior VR research on nature connectedness has shown mixed results, with limited understanding of design factors that enhance embodiment and emotional engagement. Specifically, the role of pre- and post-VR transitions and multisensory stimuli remains underexplored.
• Significance: Enhancing nature connectedness through VR can foster environmental stewardship and wellbeing, addressing the global decline in direct nature experiences due to urbanization.
• Motivation and related work: Previous studies have demonstrated VR’s potential to foster nature connectedness and pro-environmental behavior through virtual nature embodiment. However, abrupt transitions into and out of VR and limited exploration of multisensory enhancements have hindered the effectiveness of these experiences.

Solution

• Proposed approach: I Am a Tree, a VR application enabling users to embody a tree and witness environmental destruction, combined with transitional pre- and post-VR elements and multisensory stimuli during VR.
• Novelty:
  1. Integration of transitional design elements before and after VR to smooth psychological transitions and foster reflection.
  2. Use of diverse multisensory stimuli, including haptic, thermal, and olfactory cues, to enhance presence, embodiment, and nature connectedness.
  3. Comprehensive mixed-methods evaluation, including quantitative measures and in-depth qualitative interviews.
• Procedure and key techniques:
  • Pre-VR: Biophilic design, calming music, ritualistic poem recitation, and guided entry through a curtain.
  • VR: Tree embodiment with dynamic multisensory stimuli (e.g., heat, wind, weighted blanket, forest and smoke smells).
  • Post-VR: Guided reflection with a mirror and actor-led discussion, followed by a gradual return to the physical setting.

Results

• Concrete findings:
  • Presence, embodiment, and nature connectedness were significantly higher in transitional and multisensory conditions compared to neutral and audiovisual-only conditions.
  • Multisensory stimuli (e.g., heat, wind, weighted blanket) were rated as most impactful, with transitional elements (e.g., dimmed lighting, music, nature decoration) also contributing positively.
  • Affective-experiential nature connectedness (CNS scores) remained elevated one week post-study, suggesting sustained emotional effects.
• Advantage over baselines:
  • Transitional conditions increased presence by 17% and embodiment by 10%.
  • Multisensory conditions enhanced presence by 36% and embodiment by 53%.
  • Combined transitional and multisensory design yielded the highest scores across all measures.
• Experiments / evaluation:
  • Controlled 2 × 2 factorial design with 20 participants experiencing four conditions (Neutral Audiovisual, Neutral Multisensory, Transitional Audiovisual, Transitional Multisensory).
  • Measures included presence (SUS), embodiment, nature connectedness (INS, CNS), and qualitative interviews.
• Limitations and future work:
  • Limited scalability due to actor-led transitions and manual multisensory stimuli.
  • Sample primarily consisted of students in Germany, limiting generalizability.
  • Future work should explore automated delivery of multisensory cues, alternative reflection methods, and long-term behavioral outcomes.

Summary

This study introduced I Am a Tree, a VR experience combining transitional pre- and post-VR elements with multisensory stimuli to enhance nature connectedness, presence, and embodiment. Quantitative results showed significant improvements in all measures, with qualitative insights highlighting the emotional depth and transformative potential of the design. Sustained increases in affective nature connectedness were observed one week later. The findings offer actionable design recommendations for VR applications targeting environmental awareness and broader transformative experiences, emphasizing the importance of holistic user journey design.