Can mindfulness in virtual reality modify food cravings?

Résumé fourni par la source

Mindfulness-based treatments have demonstrated efficacy in reducing addictive behaviours, including food addiction. Yet, accessibility to in-person programmes remains a barrier, with limited capacity issues and accessibility for individuals suffering from mobility impairment. Virtual reality (VR) offers a promising platform to deliver mindfulness interventions in immersive nature-like environments. This study investigated the immediate effects of a single 10-minute mindfulness intervention on food cravings in adults (N = 56) from the United Kingdom and Australia, comparing a VR group with a control group viewing the same nature-like scene on a computer screen. Cravings were assessed using a food rating picture task, and the Food Cravings Questionnaire-State, alongside state mindfulness measures. A series of mixed ANOVAs indicated that the mindfulness intervention significantly reduced food cravings and increased mindfulness scores across both groups, with no significant differences observed between VR and control conditions. Results suggest that the mindfulness practice and nature-based context, rather than the immersive VR technology itself, drove effects. Additional sub-analyses comparing food images showed significant reductions in cravings over time for both healthy and unhealthy foods. Self-reported immersion scores did not moderate changes in food cravings, regardless of VR condition. Finally, self-reported sugar addiction scores were positively associated with sweet food cravings at baseline, but not with changes in craving following the mindfulness intervention. Taken together, these findings highlight that a brief mindfulness intervention can modulate craving states, potentially via enhanced interoceptive awareness and emotion regulation.

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