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TLDR
A virtual reality journey inspired by astronauts' view of Earth can make people feel more connected to nature and each other, but the effects are small and depend on personal background and how safe or comfortable people feel during the experience.
Summary
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1 Study Aim
The main aim of this study is to find out if a virtual reality (VR) experience, designed to evoke awe and inspired by the Overview Effect (the powerful sense of unity astronauts feel when viewing Earth from space), can help people feel more interconnected with nature and others. The researchers also want to understand which parts of the VR journey are most important for creating these feelings and how the design of the experience shapes participants' emotional and cognitive responses. Simply put: The study wants to see if a special VR trip can help people feel more connected to the world and each other.
2 Study Design
The researchers created an immersive VR installation called 'AWE' (Awe-inspiring Wellness Environment), which guides participants through virtual environments like a forest, a lake, and outer space. Thirteen participants, all with experience in interactive technology, took part in the study. They wore a VR headset and a camera to detect goosebumps (a sign of awe), and completed an Implicit Association Test (IAT) to measure their sense of connection to nature. After the VR journey, participants were interviewed using two methods: cued-recall debrief (watching a recording of their experience) and micro-phenomenological interviews (focusing on specific moments). The study mainly used qualitative analysis of interview data, supported by the physiological and IAT measures. Simply put: People tried a special VR trip, and researchers asked them how it felt and checked if they felt more connected to nature.
3 Findings
The study reveals that the 'AWE' VR experience can trigger some feelings of awe and small shifts in how participants see themselves in relation to nature and the world, similar to the Overview Effect. Most participants reported curiosity, wonder, and moments of excitement, but also some fear or discomfort, especially during unfamiliar or challenging parts of the journey. Feeling safe and starting in a familiar environment helped people open up to the experience. The sense of interconnectedness was measured as moderate for most, but only one participant showed a clear physiological sign of awe (goosebumps). Personal background, such as past experiences with nature or technology, strongly influenced how each person reacted. The study suggests that VR can support transformative experiences, but the effects are subtle and depend on thoughtful design and individual differences. More research and improved VR setups are needed to create deeper, more reliable feelings of awe and connection. Simply put: The VR trip made some people feel more connected and amazed, but the effects were small and varied from person to person.