News-Medical.Net September 13, 2025
Physical sports have long been known to help with anxiety and mental health. But can augmented and virtual reality sports games improve psychological well-being and reduce loneliness? Researchers at Michigan State University’s Department of Kinesiology say yes.
Assistant professors Sanghoon Kim and Sangchul Park, at MSU’s College of Education, led a study to explore layered questions on the psychological benefits of using augmented/virtual reality, or AR/VR, technology.
Published in the International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, the study shows that playing AR/VR sports games can promote psychological well-being by helping players feel connected to others and engage in real-time communication. More interestingly, the positive effects of feeling socially present were even stronger for those experiencing loneliness.
These findings remind us...
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