Augmented, Alternate and Virtual Realities in Education

Between 1972 and 1981 Roger Ulrich investigated the records of 46 patients recovering from gallbladder surgery. Patients’ rooms on one side of the hospital looked out onto deciduous trees. The others looked out onto a brick wall. Ulrich, who believed his view of a pine tree aided in his recovery from kidney disease as a teenager, wanted to find out whether those with natural scenery might enjoy greater restorative benefits than those without.

The results spoke for themselves — and went on to influence a generation of nature research. Patients with the tree view enjoyed shorter postoperative stays, had fewer negative evaluative comments from nurses, took fewer moderate and strong analgesic doses, and had slightly lower scores for minor post-surgical complications. Even from a distance, the earth’s flora impacted the patients profoundly.

Small, tranquil moments like wind rustling through trees; Panoramas only accessible from mountaintops; Fewer of us are experiencing such events than ever before. But as it turns out, taking a forest bath in a nature-rich title such as Red Dead Redemption 2 might just stimulate our brains in similar ways. According to scientific researchers across the world, virtual nature could provide psychological and physiological benefits comparable to the real thing.