From talk therapy to exercise and journaling, there are plenty of ways to help teens and adolescents manage stress. Now, there’s a new tool that might join the stress-management toolkit: virtual reality, according to recent research.
In a three-week study with nearly 50 Seattle teens, scientists at the University of Washington created a “snowy” virtual world filled with calming activities like stacking rocks and painting. The teens used this VR technology an average of twice a week on their own initiative and reported lower stress levels and improved moods by the end of the study.
“We know what works to help support teens, but a lot of these techniques are inaccessible because they’re locked into counseling, which can be expensive, or the counselors just aren’t available,” said lead author Elin Björling. “So we tried to take some of these evidence-based practices and put them in a much more engaging environment, like VR, so the teens might want to do them on their own.”
Curious about how it works? Take a peek at the VR games designed to help teens de-stress!
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