Mucha Anna, Pollak Anita, Wojtyna Ewa
Institute of Psychology, University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland.
Institute of Medical Science, University of Opole, ul. Oleska 48, Opole, 45-052, Poland.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 29;15(1):27586. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-12911-w.
Humans are deeply rooted in the natural environment. Contact with a green natural environment can affect pain perception. There are indications that a virtual analog of the natural environment may have a beneficial effect on pain perception. The aim of our study was to assess the potential effects of virtual walking in a green environment (virtual green garden) or a virtual urban environment on pain intensity, pain unpleasantness, pain tolerance, and affective state during the generated pain experience. The study was experimental in nature, in which 81 adults participated: 40 participants were exposed to a virtual reality (VR) walk in a Green Space and 41 participants in an Urban Space environment. Pain perception was measured before and after exposure to a 4-minute VR walk: pain tolerance threshold using TSA-II (pain induced by thermal stimuli), pain intensity and unpleasantness (VAS), and the level of positive and negative emotions during pain (VAS). Pain intensity and pain unpleasantness decreased after virtual walk in a green environment. Pain tolerance thresholds were maintained at a similar level before and after the introduction of the virtual walk in both the green and urban environments. The level of positive emotions increased and the level of negative emotions decreased after the virtual walk in a green environment. No statistically significant changes were observed in pain perception and emotional state in the group exposed to virtual walk in an urban environment. These results indicate that contact with nature, even in the form of VR, can effectively relieve pain not only by reducing its intensity but also by reducing its unpleasantness.
人类深深扎根于自然环境之中。与绿色自然环境的接触会影响疼痛感知。有迹象表明，自然环境的虚拟模拟可能对疼痛感知产生有益影响。我们研究的目的是评估在绿色环境（虚拟绿色花园）或虚拟城市环境中进行虚拟步行对产生疼痛体验期间的疼痛强度、疼痛不适感、疼痛耐受性及情感状态的潜在影响。该研究本质上是实验性的，有81名成年人参与：40名参与者在绿色空间中进行虚拟现实（VR）步行，41名参与者在城市空间环境中进行。在进行4分钟VR步行前后测量疼痛感知：使用TSA-II（热刺激诱发的疼痛）测量疼痛耐受阈值、疼痛强度和不适感（视觉模拟评分法），以及疼痛期间的正负情绪水平（视觉模拟评分法）。在绿色环境中进行虚拟步行后，疼痛强度和疼痛不适感降低。在绿色和城市环境中引入虚拟步行前后，疼痛耐受阈值维持在相似水平。在绿色环境中进行虚拟步行后，积极情绪水平升高，消极情绪水平降低。在城市环境中进行虚拟步行的组中，未观察到疼痛感知和情绪状态有统计学上的显著变化。这些结果表明，即使是以VR的形式与自然接触，也不仅能通过降低疼痛强度，还能通过减轻其不适感来有效缓解疼痛。
