Exploring mindfulness-based stress reduction to counter motion sickness in virtual reality 

Study Description

Virtual Reality (VR) has become a highly important tool in various domains, including research, rehabilitation, training, education, and entertainment. Unfortunately, visually induced motion sickness (VIMS), a special form of traditional motion sickness, is a common phenomenon in VR users resulting in symptoms such as eye strain, dizziness, headache, or nausea. To date, reliable methods that can successfully prevent or reduce VIMS have not been established. In the present study, an experiment will be conducted to investigate the relationship between stress and VR sickness and whether VIMS can be alleviated via stress-reducing mindfulness techniques. By exploring the impact of mindfulness on altering participants'  perspectives on unpleasant internal sensations, the study seeks to identify a simple, reliable, and effective method for minimizing VIMS. This could enhance user safety and comfort, thus promoting broader and more effective use of VR technologies in various applications.

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Eligibility Criteria

We are recruiting a total of 44 healthy adult participants between the ages of 18 and 49 years old. Participants must not be pregnant or expecting to be pregnant, with no recent history of stroke, any active vestibular disorder, disabling musculoskeletal disorder, acute psychiatric disorder, uncorrected visual impairments, diagnosed cardiovascular disease, diagnosed gastrointestinal disorders, and/or a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment or dementia.

 

Duration and Compensation

This study is conducted in one session, taking approximately 60 minutes to complete. You will receive compensation for your participation ($15 at the end of the session).

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Principal Investigator

The principal investigator for this research is Dr. Behrang Keshavarz. The project lead for this study is Aidan Boucher. If you have any questions, please contact Behrang at behrang.keshavarz@uhn.ca.​

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Start Date

Recruitment ongoing

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Participate

If you want to participate in this study, you can sign up below. By signing up you agree to be contacted by a research member of our team, but you do not commit to participate in the study. You can decline your participation at any time.