Influence of Music on Anxiety Induced by Fear of Heights in Virtual Reality

Sofia Seinfeld, Ilias Bergstrom, Ausias Pomes, Jorge Arroyo-Palacios, Francisco Vico, Mel Slater, Maria V Sanchez-Vives, Sofia Seinfeld, Ilias Bergstrom, Ausias Pomes, Jorge Arroyo-Palacios, Francisco Vico, Mel Slater, Maria V Sanchez-Vives

Abstract

Music is a potent mood regulator that can induce relaxation and reduce anxiety in different situations. While several studies demonstrate that certain types of music have a subjective anxiolytic effect, the reported results from physiological responses are less conclusive. Virtual reality allows us to study diverse scenarios of real life under strict experimental control while preserving high ecological validity. We aimed to study the modulating effect of music on the anxiety responses triggered by an immersive virtual reality scenario designed to induce fear of heights. Subjects experienced a virtual scenario depicting an exterior elevator platform ascending and descending the total height of its 350 meters tall supporting structure. Participants were allocated to either a group that experienced the elevator ride with background music or without, in a between-groups design. Furthermore, each group included participants with different degrees of fear of heights, ranging from low to high fear. Recordings of heart rate, galvanic skin response, body balance, and head movements were obtained during the experiments. Subjective anxiety was measured by means of three questionnaires. The scenario produced significant changes in subjective and physiological measures, confirming its efficacy as a stressor. A significant increase in state anxiety was found between pre and post-assessment in the silence group, but not in the music group, indicating that post-stress recovery was faster in the musical group. Results suggest that music can ameliorate the subjective anxiety produced by fear of heights.

Keywords: anxiety; fear of heights; music; therapy; virtual reality.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
(A) View of the city from the top floor. The participant is wearing the active-stereo glasses for stereoscopic vision. For the sake of clarity, the image has been displayed in mono; (B) First person perspective of the elevator ascending. Notice that the feet of the participant can be seen at the border of the virtual elevator, blending in with the virtual environment.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Boxplot of VR related questions (Table 3) for the variables presence, realism, stressful, real vs virtual, fear of falling, and attention paid to the scene, sound of the elevator and the beep sound.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
(A) Subjective Units of Discomfort Scores (SUDS) reported on each floor in the music condition while subjects ascended and descended in the elevator; (B) SUDS reported on each floor in the no-music condition while subjects ascended and descended in the elevator; (C) Mean of SUDS reported as subjects ascended or descended through the elevator in the music and no-music condition.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Boxplot of dSTAI, which is the difference between the post-assessment STAI and the pre-assessment STAI, between the music and no-music conditions.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Scatter plot of the linear correlation between Acrophobia Questionnaire (AQ) scores and percentage of change in heart rate (HR) values when subjects ascended in the elevator.

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