Currently submitted to: JMIR Serious Games
Date Submitted: Sep 12, 2026
Open Peer Review Period: Sep 13, 2026 - Nov 8, 2026
(currently open for review)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Acute Cardiovascular, Perceptual, and Affective Responses to Immersive Virtual Reality Versus Screen-Guided Aerobic Exercise in College Students: Counterbalanced Within-Subject Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Immersive virtual reality (VR) exercise has emerged as an increasingly accessible form of technology-supported physical activity. Previous studies suggest that VR exercise can elicit meaningful physiological responses while enhancing enjoyment and affective experience. However, physiological demand and subjective exercise responses have not always been examined concurrently.
Objective:
This study compared acute cardiovascular, perceived-exertion, enjoyment, and postexercise affective responses to immersive VR exercise and screen-guided aerobic exercise in healthy college students.
Methods:
In an acute counterbalanced within-subject study, 77 healthy college students (32 women; mean age 20.6, SD 2.7 years) completed two 20-minute exercise sessions: immersive VR exercise using Supernatural Flow on a Meta Quest 3 and a duration-matched screen-guided aerobic exercise session involving broadly similar movement patterns. Heart rate (HR) was recorded continuously. Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) was assessed before and after each session, whereas exercise enjoyment and postexercise affective state were assessed after each session. Linear mixed-effects models were used to compare the 2 conditions.
Results:
Mean session HR was lower during immersive VR exercise than during screen-guided aerobic exercise (mean 127.4, SD 17.2 bpm vs mean 136.6, SD 15.2 bpm; mean difference [MD] −9.13 bpm, 95% CI −12.52 to −5.74; P<.001). After adjustment for preexercise RPE, postexercise RPE was also lower following VR exercise (mean 12.6, SD 2.3 vs mean 14.1, SD 2.2; MD −1.28, 95% CI −1.77 to −0.78; P<.001). Exercise enjoyment was substantially higher following VR exercise (mean 112.5, SD 10.1 vs mean 83.7, SD 20.6; MD 28.78, 95% CI 23.82-33.74; P<.001). VR exercise also resulted in higher revitalization, tranquility, and positive engagement and lower physical exhaustion (all P≤.001).
Conclusions:
Compared with screen-guided aerobic exercise, immersive VR exercise elicited lower mean HR and perceived exertion while producing greater enjoyment and more favorable postexercise affective responses. These findings indicate that immersive VR may provide a meaningful aerobic exercise experience with a favorable perceptual and affective profile. Further research is needed to determine whether these acute responses are maintained with repeated exposure.
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