Breathing-Cycle Haptic Cues Reduce Perceived Mental Workload and Enhance Engagement in Remote Collaborative Learning

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Since the COVID-19 pandemic, synchronous online classes using video conferencing systems have become an established lecture format in higher education institutions. However, the overuse of remote communication via video conferencing systems has been reported to impose stress, including cognitive and psychological exhaustion. This study investigates the effectiveness of a cushion-shaped device designed to induce respiratory rhythm and depth within collaborative learning contexts. We conducted a between-subjects experiment with 54 university students, comparing three conditions: no device, an inactive cushion, and a cushion delivering continuous breathing-cycle guidance. Pairs of participants completed two consecutive discussion-based collaborative learning tasks. Perceived mental workload, measured once after both tasks, was significantly lower with breathing-cycle guidance than without a device. In the first task, ratings of engagement and satisfaction were also higher, whereas no such differences emerged in the second task. Physiological and behavioral measures showed no significant differences among conditions. These findings suggest that breathing-cycle haptic cues can shape learners’ subjective appraisal of task demands during remote collaborative learning, even in the absence of measurable physiological change.