Several studies have found that the use of emotional VE helps to
increase the sense of presence. For instance, Banos et al. (2004b) ~
studied the effectiveness of a VE (a virtual park) in inducing
sadness, joy, relaxation and anxiety, and they concluded that
emotional VE increased the participants’ sense of presence
compared to non-emotional (neutral) VE. In a further study, Banos ~
et al. (2008) found a relationship between the intensity of positive
emotions (relaxation and joy) and a strong sense of presence. Riva
et al. (2007) also used VE to induce relaxation and anxiety, and their
results also confirm the bidirectional relationship between emotions
and sense of presence.