The Effects of Combining Visual-Auditory Stimuli with Exercise on Short-Term Affect Improvement: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract Objectives: Prior research has explored the effects of engaging with real or virtual natural landscapes and listening to music during aerobic exercise on short-term affect, However, the specific differences in the improvement of short-term affect by different combinations of VR and music rhythm require further investigation. This study aims to explore the differential impact of distinct VR and music integration strategies on short-term affect, thereby informing future research directions and optimizing public fitness practices. Methods: This study recruited 132 valid subjects (mean age 24.0±0.9 years), with a gender distribution of 68 males and 64 females. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups: Visual-Music (V-M), Music-Visual (M-V), Visual-only (V), and Music-only (M). The exercise mode was 15 minutes of aerobic power cycling with 2 minutes of low-intensity power cycling intervals in the middle. After the exercise, the subjects were asked to sit and then performed either a VR intervention or a music intervention for 15 minutes. The collected indicators included blood pressure, positive/negative affect, and heart rate variability indicators (RMSSD, SDNN, LF/HF). Data analysis included descriptive statistics, repeated measures ANOVA, and multifactor ANOVA. The effect of different VR and Music combined with exercise interventions on the improvement of short-term affect was analyzed based on the effect size (ɳp²) and combined with the significance p-value. Results: Intra-group differences showed that DBP, positive affect, negative affect, SDNN, RMSSD indicators in V-M group were significantly different before and after the experiment (p<0.05), while SBP, positive affect, negative affect, SDNN, RMSSD, LF/HF indicators in M-V group were significantly different before and after the intervention (all p<0.05). Only SDNN and RMSSD indicators in group M had significant differences before and after the experiment (p<0.05), and only SBP and RMSSD indicators in group V had significant differences before and after the experiment (p<0.05). The difference between groups showed that compared with other short-term affect response indicators, only SDNN and LH/HF groups had a significant difference (p<0.05), and other indicators had a trend of improvement or positive promotion to a certain extent, but the statistical difference was not significant (p>0.05). In general, the improvement effect of the visual-auditory combined exercise on short-term affect was due to the single visual or auditory activity. Conclusion: Aerobic exercise with consistent intensity and the combined visual-auditory interventions (M-V and V-M) significantly improved blood pressure, and the short-term affect of physiological responses (LF/HF, SDNN, RMSSD), along with subjective affect measures, compared to other intervention groups.These findings suggest that incorporating VR and music with exercise can effectively enhance short-term affect, recommending an integrated approach to aerobic exercise and relaxation through music and visual exposure to natural environments.