A randomised controlled trial published in Scientific Reports has found that Phase Space's seven-minute virtual reality (VR) wellbeing programme reduces stress and anxiety in university students more than the same content watched on a smartphone. The trial, led by Dr Aileen O'Brien at City St George's, University of London, involved 131 healthcare students over five days.
What did the study find?
Both groups improved, but students using a VR headset had significantly greater immediate reductions in stress and anxiety, and greater increases in calm and happiness.
Two weeks later, the VR group still reported lower perceived stress.
89% of VR users said the experience made a real difference to how they felt, compared with 34% of students who watched it on a smartphone.
Students in the VR group felt more immersed, and no cybersickness was reported.
Some students also reported better sleep, higher productivity and feeling more able to manage academic pressure.
Students described the sessions as a purposeful reset that helped them return to study feeling more focused, rather than time taken away from work.
How was the study run?
131 healthcare students at City St George's were randomly assigned to use a VR headset (67 students) or watch the same content on a smartphone (64 students), for one session a day over five consecutive days. Before and after each session, students rated how calm, stressed and anxious they felt. Perceived stress, wellbeing and depressive symptoms were measured with established questionnaires at the start and again two weeks later.
The trial is registered as ISRCTN51742331. The trial and the content were funded by UKRI Innovate UK through the Mindset programme.
What is the Phase Space programme?
Phase Space is a seven-minute VR wellbeing programme co-created with students to help manage exam stress. It combines established stress-management techniques, including breathing exercises, visualisation and positive coping strategies, with immersive audio and visuals designed to create calm and focus.
What does this mean for schools?
Exam anxiety is a growing concern in secondary schools. In a recent Teacher Tapp survey of more than 5,700 teachers, 56% had seen mental health issues linked to exam anxiety among Year 11 pupils, and 17% reported pupils being withdrawn from GCSEs altogether because of anxiety.
This trial was with university students. Phase Space is now also used with secondary pupils, including in all 15 Sutton schools, and we are gathering evidence from schools alongside this research.
What the researchers say
Dr Aileen O'Brien, lead author and Reader in Psychiatry at City St George's, said: "Young people need more than crisis support."
Zillah Watson, Co-founder and CEO of Phase Space, said: "From the beginning, students told us they didn't want another wellbeing resource that felt like homework. They wanted something that could help them switch off from the noise and pressure around them and feel better quickly."
Read the paper
O'Brien A, Sheba B, Pan X, et al. A controlled trial of a co-designed virtual reality experience to support wellbeing in students. Scientific Reports, 2026. Open access: doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-61827-6.
City St George's news story: Seven-minute virtual reality intervention helps reset student overwhelm
Frequently asked questions
How long is a Phase Space session? About seven minutes.
Has the research been peer reviewed? Yes. It was published in Scientific Reports, an open-access journal from the Nature Portfolio, in 2026.
How many students took part? 131 healthcare students at City St George's, University of London: 67 used VR and 64 used a smartphone.
Did the trial include school pupils? No. It was carried out with university students. Phase Space is used in secondary schools, and school results are reported separately.
Did VR make students feel sick? No cybersickness was reported in the trial.