Evaluation of changes in heartbeats during stimulation of an extreme scenario in virtual reality

Background
xtreme stimuli delivered through virtual reality (VR) environments are increasingly used to examine physiological and emotional responses. VR simulations provide safe, controlled, and repeatable exposure to stressful scenarios, allowing researchers to assess autonomic reactions such as heart rate changes—a key indicator of physiological arousal. Understanding how young, healthy individuals respond to such standardized stressors may support the development of diagnostic, therapeutic, and training protocols, particularly in the context of anxiety disorders and stress-resilience interventions.

Aims
The aim of this study was to assess heart rate changes in young, healthy adults exposed to a single extreme VR scenario.

Material and methods
Thirty-five participants (20 women, 15 men), aged 21.24 ± 2.0 years, with a mean body mass of 71.46 ± 17.79 kg and BMI of 23.68 ± 3.83 (within the normal range), were included. All individuals completed a single exposure to an extreme VR scenario modeled on Richie’s Plank Experience. The procedure consisted of two 3-minute stages: Stage 1 – measurement at ground level, and Stage 2 – measurement while standing on a virtual plank positioned at the top of a skyscraper. Heart rate was recorded continuously using a chest-mounted sensor. Data were processed in Microsoft Excel and subjected to statistical analysis.

Results
There was a statistically significant difference between the two measurement stages (p < 0.001). Participants demonstrated an average heart rate increase of 8.5% during the height-exposure condition. Moreover, 85.7% of participants exhibited an individual rise in heart rate during Stage 2, indicating a robust and consistent physiological reaction to the extreme VR stimulus.

Conclusions
Exposure to extreme VR scenarios reliably elicited measurable physiological arousal in young adults. These findings suggest that controlled VR stimulation may be a promising tool for diagnostic assessment and therapeutic training in individuals with anxiety disorders, as well as for enhancing stress-resilience capacity