The impact of virtual reality acute aerobic exercise on the inhibitory control function of anxious college students: An exploratory neurological mechanism study based on fNIRS.
Psychol Sport ExercJul 8, 2026 (epub)
Hailin Wang, Yuxin He, Yang Liu
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In 30 seconds
This randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of virtual reality (VR) acute aerobic exercise on anxiety and inhibitory control in 75 anxious college students. Results indicated that the VR cycling group experienced significantly lower anxiety scores and improved performance on the Stroop task compared to both the traditional cycling and control groups, with p-values less than 0.001.
Key findings
- Anxiety scores in the VR cycling group were significantly lower than the control group (P < 0.001).
- The correct rate on the Stroop task was significantly higher in the VR cycling group compared to both other groups (P < 0.001).
- fNIRS data showed significantly higher activation levels in the L-DLPFC and R-DLPFC for the VR cycling group (P < 0.001).
- Anxiety scores were negatively correlated with DLPFC activation (P < 0.05).
Why it matters
The findings suggest that integrating virtual reality with aerobic exercise may enhance emotional and cognitive outcomes for anxious college students, potentially offering a novel intervention strategy for improving mental health in this population.