Vitamine immersive white paper, with the support of Beneva - OASIS immersion and La Piscine reveal the first potential emotional and cognitive impacts of immersive arts

MONTREAL, Feb. 21, 2023 /CNW/ - In the fall of 2021, Beneva partnered with OASIS immersion, Canada's largest immersive destination, and cultural entrepreneurship incubator La Piscine to launch Vitamine immersive, a collaboration exploring the emotional and cognitive impacts of immersive art, specifically in a context of stress and anxiety in the workplace. In the first exploratory phase, the study combined biometric data collection methods with participants' declarative data. The white paper unveiled today presents initial learnings and more. It provides a perspective on international trends in the integration of immersive experiences into certain types of therapeutic treatments, as well as new innovative applications related to the labour market.

The white paper also presents the new avenues to be explored in the next phase, including mindfulness; this new phase will be carried out in collaboration with Creative Capital, an open innovation foresight agency that structures the different phases of work and collaboration between research, design and development of the experiment, and the Relief Chair in Mental Health, Self-Management and Work of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Laval University, under the direction of Simon Coulombe.

The following are some of the observations made during the exploratory phase:

Engagement is tied to attention, and measures how invested and connected a participant is to the experience. It is a measure that expresses the flow or level of focus and reflects a positive experience. The notion of focus, also called attentive presence, will be at the centre of the next exploratory phase, since research tends to show a certain correlation between well-being and personal regulation (reduction of stress and anxiety), a more positive relationship with others, and a tendency to set common goals within a group. On average, the commitment of the participants is 157% greater during the immersion. It increases with a time constant of 50 seconds and its plateau is maintained for 85% of the time during the experience.

Other observations worth mentioning include the level of activity of the participant's nervous system, which is on average 166%higher upon arrival at the site than during the immersive visit; joy (smiling) is 75% greater during the immersive experience; finally, it is also interesting to note that, according to the declarative data collected, the immersive works proposed to participants were largely associated with positive emotions.

"It is important to note that Vitamine immersive was conceived in the midst of the pandemic, at the invitation of La Piscine, which wanted to evaluate the contribution of the creative and cultural industries to economic, health and social issues. The project challenged us as citizens and digital creators, but also as initiators of a new space in Montreal's cultural landscape. To better understand the impact of this emerging medium seemed like a unique opportunity to enrich our vision," explains Denys Lavigne, President and Co-founder of OASIS immersion.

"At Beneva, our mutualist values have always guided our social commitment. As mental health and well-being are of particular concern to us, we have chosen to focus on the prevention of anxiety and to support various initiatives in this field. Our collaboration with Vitamine immersive, a project that explores the impact of immersive art on issues of well-being and mental health, opens up an interesting avenue for managing and raising awareness of anxiety," said Jean-François Chalifoux, President and Chief Executive Officer of Beneva.

"The first Vitamine immersive pilot study was born out of a collaborative impulse and initiated the emergence of an experimental dynamic. We are confident that next steps will allow us to discover more opportunities for development, research and sharing. Several interesting breakthroughs are being made on an international scale," concludes Delphine Beauchamp, General Manager of La Piscine.

The exploratory phase of Vitamine immersive focused on the stress and anxiety experienced by employees as they gradually returned to work in a post-pandemic context. Participants were exposed to an immersive experience of approximately 30 minutes, broadcast in three galleries equipped with a projection system on the walls and floors, and a surround sound system with a spatialized soundtrack. Biometric data was collected using the Hermes Nucleus, a unique emotional and cognitive analysis solution developed by RE-AK Technologies, in the form of a headset with sensors placed on the head and face of the participants. Participants in the first exploration phase were exposed to an immersive ritual while equipped with this helmet.

In addition to the biometric data, participants completed a questionnaire after each visit that monitored changes in their state of mind by measuring a series of indices related to well-being, stress and anxiety, social dysfunction, self-confidence, and job satisfaction, among others.

This exploratory phase revealed promising initial indications of the positive contribution of the experience at the emotional and cognitive levels. Thanks to the valuable collaboration of the Relief Chair, it will be possible to launch a second phase to deepen these leads and further develop this fascinating exercise, particularly in terms of individual well-being and the benefits of attentive presence.

To consult Vitamine immersive white paper

SOURCE OASIS Immersion