Playing games has been shown to be an effective method of postwork recovery.Previous research has shown that gameplay with high cognitive involvement is effective for recovery.This finding conflicts with models of mental workload (MWL), which suggest that people feel best when cycling between high and low MWL.To unpack the relationship between recovery and mental workload, we designed a lab experiment where 40 participants experienced different combinations of high and low MWL while undertaking both work tasks and recovery gameplay, and we collected both selfreport and physiological (fNIRS) data.Results showed that high and low MWL games created different impacts on recovery, depending on the MWL of the prior work task.While fNIRS measurements of MWL varied as expected during work tasks, experience of MWL when playing games was not evident in the prefrontal cortex.We conclude by discussing the relationship between mental workload and theories of recovery.

Research indicates that a significant number of individuals are in a suboptimal auditory health state , yet their auditory function can potentially be improved through auditory training. To raise awareness of auditory health issues, auditory training apps should provide effective yet accessible training methods alongside engaging mechanisms that motivate users to adopt and sustain auditory training habits, ultimately facilitating self-directed auditory health management. Current auditory training apps overlook the importance of user needs and motivation, as well as the relationship between the two, leading to low engagement and retention rates. We document the specific needs of both normal-hearing and mildly hearing-impaired users and analyze physiological data collected during auditory training tasks. Through lab experiment study, we provide quantitative evidence supporting the effectiveness of the auditory training method used in this study. The findings indicate that audiovisual-based auditory training contributes to improved auditory performance. Building on these insights, we develop an auditory training app prototype that integrates gamification and narrative design into the auditory training app prototype, and examine their impact on user motivation and engagement. Furthermore, based on the results, we propose design recommendations for future auditory training app development, emphasizing the need to align training effectiveness with user motivation and engagement strategies.

Although collaborative design in virtual reality (VR) is now feasible, enabling face-to-face interactions between individuals, research is lacking on how it impacts design from cognition and how it differs from reality. This study examined the collaborative design behavior of 30 design postgraduates who completed innovation tasks in the early phases of design in both VR and reality based on real-life problems. An experimental analysis of the performance and outcomes of the collaborative design was conducted, and inter-brain synchrony (IBS) was measured using fNIRS based hyperscanning to compare the differences between designers in VR and reality. Although the results indicate no significant difference in final idea quality between the VR and reality groups, differences in design performance and IBS were found. Fewer channels showed significant IBS in the VR group than in the reality group, which was associated with collaborative design performance and satisfaction. Moreover, idea deepening showed less variability than the other phases, which was related to the brain’s primary motor cortex. We formulated insights and recommendations based on several dimensions within the method of stimulating a virtual environment: communication, cognitive synchronization, and embodiment.