Listening to music can help reduce dizziness, nausea and headache experienced by virtual reality users after using digital gadgets, according to a study. Cybersickness – a type of motion sickness caused by virtual reality experiences such as computer games – is significantly reduced when joyful music is part of the immersive experience, the study found. There was also a significant reduction in the intensity of nausea-related symptoms of cybersickness with both happy and calming music. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh assessed the effects of music played in a virtual reality environment among 39 people aged 22 to 36.
They conducted a series of tests to assess the effect on a participant’s memory skills, reading speed and reaction time. Participants were immersed in a virtual environment where they experienced three roller coaster rides aimed at inducing cybersickness. Two of the three rides were accompanied by electronic music with no songs from artists or music streams that people might hear that had been selected in previous studies as being calming or joyful. One ride was completed in silence and the order of the ride was randomized among participants.
After each ride, participants rated their cybersickness symptoms and took some memory and reaction time tests. Eye-tracking tests were also conducted to measure their reading speed and pupil size. For comparison purposes, participants had completed identical tests prior to the ride.
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The study found that upbeat music significantly reduced the severity of overall cybersickness. Joyful and calming music significantly reduced the intensity of nausea-related symptoms. Cybersickness was associated with a temporary decrease in verbal working memory test scores and a decrease in pupil size among the participants. It also significantly slowed down response times and read speeds. The researchers also found that a higher level of gaming experience was associated with less cybersickness.
There was no difference in the severity of cybersickness between female and male participants with comparable gaming experience. Researchers say the findings show music’s potential in reducing cybersickness, understand how the gaming experience is linked to the level of cybersickness, and the effects of cybersickness on thinking skills, reaction time, reading ability and pupil size. Disease has a significant impact.
Dr Sarah E Macpherson, from the University of Edinburgh’s School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, said: “Our study suggests immersive virtual reality using calming or joyful music as a solution for cybersickness. Virtual reality is used educational and clinical. settings but experiencing cybersickness can temporarily impair one’s thinking skills as well as slow their reaction times. The development of music as an intervention has been used to integrate virtual reality into educational and clinical settings. may encourage it to be used more widely within settings.”