Visual Factors and Sub-Factors for Triggering Positive Emotions in Natural Hyper-Realistic Virtual Reality Environments: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

This systematic literature review examines four key visual elements, i.e., geometry, lighting, material surfaces, and color, along with their sub-factors, including scale and proportion, global illumination, reflections, material textures, and color values. Virtual Reality Environments (VREs) have become a powerful tool for eliciting emotions. However, the role of hyper-realistic visual factors in triggering positive emotional states remains underexplored. Results collected from the identification, screening, and eligibility search process follow PRISMA guidelines. The results collected are directly related to this paper’s research question (RQ) to investigate peer-reviewed papers from 2017 to 2024. This paper systematically analyzed 122 peer-reviewed articles from five major databases. Findings indicate that while realism and immersion contribute to emotional engagement, limited empirical research has investigated how individual visual factors interact to enhance positive emotions. Large-scale environments, lighting techniques, and high-fidelity materials in virtual reality (VR) appear to influence emotional states, yet their combined effects remain unclear.