Polish Study: VR Workouts Significantly Improve Attitudes Towards Exercise, Outperforming Screen-Based Training

A Polish study by the Information Processing Institute – National Research Institute (OPI PIB) reveals that Virtual Reality (VR) can be a powerful tool in combating sedentary lifestyles by significantly improving individuals’ attitudes towards physical activity. This finding comes in response to WHO data indicating widespread physical inactivity globally.

Central Theme & Research Question:

The research primarily investigated whether VR technology, often associated with inactivity, could encourage exercise and positively alter emotional responses to physical training, and if digital avatar trainers could be as motivating as human trainers.

Key Points & Findings:

• Experimental Setup: Researchers compared participants’ attitudes after a series of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workouts conducted under four conditions: VR with an avatar trainer, VR with a human trainer, screen-based exercise with an avatar, and screen-based exercise with a human trainer.
• VR’s Superior Impact: A significant positive change in affective attitude towards exercise was observed exclusively in the VR groups. This improvement occurred regardless of whether the trainer was a human or an avatar.
• Environment Over Trainer Type: The study concluded that the immersive VR environment itself was the crucial factor in improving attitudes, rather than the type of trainer (human vs. avatar). Dr. Grzegorz Banerski of OPI PIB noted that digital avatars in VR can fulfill similar functions to human trainers in this context.
• Shift in Attitude: Notably, participants in the VR groups, who initially reported lower or even negative attitudes towards exercise compared to screen-based groups, experienced a significant increase in positive attitude, eventually matching those of the screen-based exercisers.

Significant Conclusions & Takeaways:

The study strongly suggests that VR technology holds considerable promise for promoting physical activity and fostering a more positive outlook on exercise. The immersive nature of VR appears to be the key driver for these positive changes. According to Dr. Jarosław Protasiewicz, director of OPI PIB, these results are promising for leveraging technology to encourage physical fitness. The findings indicate that technology typically blamed for sedentary behavior can, paradoxically, be harnessed to motivate people to move, with avatar-led VR workouts being a viable and effective option.

Source: Ćwiczenia w goglach przyniosły niezwykłe efekty – wynika z nowego badania. Jak uzdrowić Polaków? – rp.pl