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Smelling What You See in Virtual Reality: Impacts on Mood, Memory, and Anxiety
Conference proceeding   Peer reviewed

Smelling What You See in Virtual Reality: Impacts on Mood, Memory, and Anxiety

Kathleen A. Svenson, Steven J. Kass and Lisa D. Blalock
Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, Vol.68(1), pp.1200-1205
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting
09/2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/10711813241260666

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Abstract

This study examines how adding scents to a virtual reality (VR) environment impacts immersion, anxiety levels, and mood. Participants ( N = 40), aged 18–44 years with varying levels of VR technology experience, were randomly assigned to either the control (no scent), congruent (i.e., scents that match the visual scene), or incongruent scent conditions. Participants were assessed on changes to mood, anxiety levels, immersion, and performance on a memory recognition task. Results suggest that while the VR experience significantly reduced anxiety and lifted mood, scent did not significantly affect memory performance or immersion in the VR experience. Future directions for research include exploring the use of scent to engage participants more fully in exposure therapies.

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