Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in

Evaluation of a Virtual Working Environment via Psychophysiological Indices

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
HCI International 2022 - Late Breaking Papers. Design, User Experience and Interaction (HCII 2022)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 13516))

Included in the following conference series:

  • 1556 Accesses

Abstract

Many studies have suggested that natural landscapes could relieve stressful sentiments regardless of how the virtual nature is presented. Thus, we investigated the effect of a virtual working environment on workers’ mental and physiological states using psychophysiological measures and subjective assessments. Twenty-two healthy male students (22.0 ± 0.9 yrs.) voluntary participated in the study. The results indicated that the finger plethysmogram (PTG) amplitude measured in a forest environment was significantly lower than that measured in an office environment. However, the differences in subjective fatigue and stress between the two environments were negligible. Therefore, we assumed that the forest environment could enhance sympathetic activity owing to an excited-pleasurable working experience. However, other more sophisticated measures should be introduced. Furthermore, it is necessary to investigate the subtle effects of nature using more sensitive methods.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Monika, F., Pawel, W.: Literature survey on how different factors influence human comfort in indoor environments. Build. Environ. 46(4), 922–937 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Nis, H., Dag, R., Anne, K.B., Nils, F., Ulf, L., Karen, S.: The effect of mental stress on heart rate variability and blood pressure during computer work. Eur. J. Appl. Physiol. 92, 84–89 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Roger, S.U., Robert, F.S., Barbara, D.L., Evelyn, F., Mark, A.M., Michael, Z.: Stress recovery during exposure to natural and urban environments. J. Environ. Psychol. 11, 201–230 (1991)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Yeo, N.L., et al.: What is the best way of delivering virtual nature for improving mood? An experimental comparison of high-definition TV, 360◦ video, and computer generated virtual reality. J. Environ. 72, 101500 (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  5. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1131318.pdf. Accessed 23 May 2022

  6. Stefan, L., Linda, G., Maic, M.: The relaxing effect of virtual nature - immersive technology provides relief in acute stress situations. Ann. Rev. Cyber Ther. Telemed. 16, 87–93 (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Gao, T., Zhang, T., Zhu, L., Gao, Y., Qiu, L.: Exploring psychophysiological restoration and individual preference in the different environments based on virtual reality. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 16, 3102 (2019)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Chia-Pin, Y., Hsiao-Yun, L., Xiang-Yi, L.: The effect of virtual reality forest and urban environments on physiological and psychological responses. Urban For. Urban Green. 35, 106–114 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Matilda, A., et al.: Inducing physiological stress recovery with sounds of nature in a virtual reality forest—results from a pilot study. Physiol. Behav. 118, 240–250 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Maryam, M., Yimin, Z.: Application of virtual environments for biophilic design: a critical review. Building 11(4), 148 (2021)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Jie, Y., Jing, Y., Nastaran, A., Paul, J.C., Joseph, G.A., John, D.S.: Effects of biophilic in-door environment on stress and anxiety recovery: a between-subjects experiment in virtual reality. Environ. Int. 136, 105427 (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Inoue, A., Kawakami, N., Shimomitsu, T., Tsutsumi, A., Haratani, T., Yoshikawa, T., et al.: Development of a short version of the new brief job stress questionnaire. Ind. Health 2014(52), 535–540 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Tsutsumi, A., Inoue, A., Eguchi, H.: How accurately does the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire identify workers with or without potential psychological distress? J. Occup. Health 2017(59), 356–360 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chitose Institute of Science and Technology, Chitose, Hokkaido, Japan

    Seiji Kikuchi, Ryosuke Konishi, Reiji Goda, Yusuke Kan’no, Shinji Miyake & Daiji Kobayashi

Authors
  1. Seiji Kikuchi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ryosuke Konishi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Reiji Goda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yusuke Kan’no
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Shinji Miyake
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Daiji Kobayashi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daiji Kobayashi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Open University of Japan, Chiba, Japan

    Masaaki Kurosu

  2. Tokyo University of Science, Tokyo, Saitama, Japan

    Sakae Yamamoto

  3. Tokyo City University, Tokyo, Japan

    Hirohiko Mori

  4. Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China

    Marcelo M. Soares

  5. World Usability Day and Bubble Mountain Consulting, Newton Center, MA, USA

    Elizabeth Rosenzweig

  6. Aaron Marcus and Associates, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Aaron Marcus

  7. Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

    Pei-Luen Patrick Rau

  8. Coventry University, Coventry, UK

    Don Harris

  9. Cranfield University, Cranfield, UK

    Wen-Chin Li

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Kikuchi, S., Konishi, R., Goda, R., Kan’no, Y., Miyake, S., Kobayashi, D. (2022). Evaluation of a Virtual Working Environment via Psychophysiological Indices. In: Kurosu, M., et al. HCI International 2022 - Late Breaking Papers. Design, User Experience and Interaction. HCII 2022. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 13516. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17615-9_18

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17615-9_18

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-17614-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-17615-9

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics