In a virtual world, all things are possible—even changing people’s most entrenched habits.

Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab has conducted experiments over the last several years to determine how virtual and augmented reality can influence human behavior. In a recent study, the lab tested the technology’s power to induce participants to actually do something about climate change.

Participants in the study wore a head-mounted display device (similar to the Oculus Rift) to immerse themselves in a virtual forest. They slowly walked among the trees, hearing birds chirping and seeing sunlight dapple the forest floor, before they were handed a joystick that served as a chainsaw and asked to cut down a tree. Other participants in the study merely watched a video or read an article about deforestation. “What we found was that only the people who were immersed in virtual reality were the ones who later changed their behavior,” said Cody Karutz, the lab manager.

Participants who performed the simulated act of cutting down a tree were found to reduce their paper consumption by 20 percent on average, and showed a measurable preference for recycled paper products.

Most of us know that individual actions, such as failing to recycle paper or support certain policies, don’t bode well for the environment. But the expanse of time between the action (tossing paper in the trash) and its consequence (global warming) is too wide to allow us to directly experience the impact of our decisions. This is where immersive virtual reality comes in.

"One can viscerally experience disparate futures and get firsthand experience about the consequences of human behavior," says Jeremy Bailenson, cognitive psychologist and founding director of the Virtual Human Interaction Lab.

The study’s findings have significant implications for the training and development industry. Imagine placing your learners in a virtual scenario where they can apply knowledge and experience the effects of their actions.

“Immersive learning forces designers to start their process by identifying the problem, its causes, and context, instead of assuming that if you present learners with content, it will change their behavior,” wrote Koreen Pagano in her book Immersive Learning (ASTD Press, 2013). “Sometimes the problem is what people don’t know, but more often, the problem is what people don’t know how to do. The problem can also be what people are not incentivised to do.” As the tree-cutting study shows, learners’ willingness to adopt knowledge, skills, and behaviors is directly related to their sense of control over their environment.

Studies also show that incorporating physical movements into a learning experience can facilitate learning. According to the theory of embodied cognition, when learners use their bodies to engage with learning material, it becomes more comprehensible. Using this approach in a virtual environment is no less effective than in a physical environment, according to an article in Monitor on Psychology, a publication of the American Psychological Association. 

Schools and museums are beginning to adopt virtual and augmented reality technology to enhance learning for students and museumgoers. The corporate world shouldn’t be far behind, despite challenges in adopting the technology for the professional environment. The fundamental concept emerging from the research is that when learners have the ability to affect outcomes—whether it is saving the environment or satisfying a customer—they are more willing to learn how to get those results again and again.