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Upon being told to deliver an unprepared brief presentation and then subtract sequentially in increments of seventeen – while facing a panel of three strangers – the sudden tension was written on my face.

This occurred since researchers were documenting this quite daunting scenario for a investigation that is studying stress using infrared imaging.

Anxiety modifies the circulation in the face, and researchers have found that the drop in temperature of a subject's face can be used as a measure of stress levels and to observe restoration.

Infrared technology, based on researcher findings behind the study could be a "game changer" in anxiety studies.

The Research Anxiety Evaluation

The experimental stress test that I participated in is precisely structured and purposely arranged to be an discomforting experience. I came to the research facility with minimal awareness what I was facing.

Initially, I was told to settle, relax and listen to ambient sound through a pair of earphones.

Thus far, quite relaxing.

Then, the researcher who was overseeing the assessment brought in a panel of three strangers into the space. They all stared at me without speaking as the researcher informed that I now had a brief period to develop a five minute speech about my "perfect occupation".

When noticing the heat rise around my throat, the scientists captured my skin tone shifting through their heat-sensing equipment. My facial temperature immediately decreased in heat – showing colder on the thermal image – as I considered how to navigate this unplanned presentation.

Study Outcomes

The investigators have carried out this equivalent anxiety evaluation on 29 volunteers. In all instances, they saw their nose dip in temperature by between three and six degrees.

My nasal area cooled in temperature by two degrees, as my biological response system pushed blood flow away from my face and to my sensory systems – a physical reaction to assist me in see and detect for hazards.

The majority of subjects, like me, returned to normal swiftly; their facial temperatures rose to normal readings within a few minutes.

Principal investigator explained that being a media professional has probably made me "somewhat accustomed to being subjected to tense situations".

"You're accustomed to the filming device and talking with unknown individuals, so you're probably somewhat resistant to interpersonal pressures," she explained.

"But even someone like you, experienced in handling anxiety-provoking scenarios, shows a physiological circulation change, so which implies this 'facial cooling' is a consistent measure of a altering tension condition."

Anxiety Control Uses

Anxiety is natural. But this finding, the experts claim, could be used to help manage damaging amounts of anxiety.

"The length of time it takes an individual to bounce back from this cooling effect could be an objective measure of how well an individual controls their stress," said the lead researcher.

"If they bounce back unusually slowly, could that be a potential indicator of anxiety or depression? Could this be a factor that we can do anything about?"

As this approach is non-intrusive and measures a physical response, it could additionally prove valuable to monitor stress in infants or in individuals unable to express themselves.

The Mathematical Stress Test

The following evaluation in my stress assessment was, personally, even worse than the opening task. I was asked to count in reverse starting from 2023 in intervals of 17. One of the observers of unresponsive individuals interrupted me each instance I calculated incorrectly and asked me to start again.

I admit, I am poor with calculating mentally.

During the uncomfortable period striving to push my mind to execute mathematical calculations, the only thought was that I wanted to flee the increasingly stuffy room.

During the research, merely one of the 29 volunteers for the stress test did genuinely request to exit. The remainder, like me, accomplished their challenges – presumably feeling varying degrees of embarrassment – and were rewarded with an additional relaxation period of ambient sound through earphones at the conclusion.

Non-Human Applications

Possibly included in the most unexpected elements of the approach is that, as heat-sensing technology monitor physiological anxiety indicators that is inherent within numerous ape species, it can furthermore be utilized in animal primates.

The researchers are currently developing its implementation within refuges for primates, such as chimps and gorillas. They seek to establish how to decrease anxiety and improve the wellbeing of animals that may have been saved from distressing situations.

The team has already found that presenting mature chimps video footage of young primates has a soothing influence. When the researchers set up a display monitor near the protected apes' living area, they saw the noses of primates that viewed the content warm up.

Therefore, regarding anxiety, watching baby animals interacting is the contrary to a surprise job interview or an on-the-spot subtraction task.

Potential Uses

Using thermal cameras in ape sanctuaries could turn out to be useful for assisting protected primates to adjust and settle in to a new social group and unfamiliar environment.

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