When I was asked to give an impromptu five-minute speech and then subtract sequentially in intervals of 17 – before a panel of three strangers – the sudden tension was evident in my expression.
That is because psychologists were recording this rather frightening scenario for a research project that is examining tension using infrared imaging.
Anxiety modifies the blood flow in the facial area, 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 monitor recovery.
Heat mapping, based on researcher findings behind the study could be a "game changer" in anxiety studies.
The research anxiety evaluation that I underwent is precisely structured and deliberately designed to be an unpleasant surprise. I visited the university with little knowledge what I was about to experience.
First, I was instructed to position myself, calm down and hear white noise through a set of headphones.
Up to this point, very peaceful.
Afterward, the scientist who was running the test brought in a trio of unknown individuals into the room. They each looked at me quietly as the scientist explained that I now had a brief period to develop a five minute speech about my "ideal career".
As I felt the warmth build around my neck, the experts documented my face changing colour through their infrared device. My nose quickly dropped in temperature – turning blue on the infrared display – as I considered how to manage this impromptu speech.
The researchers have performed this identical tension assessment on multiple participants. In all instances, they saw their nose dip in temperature by a noticeable amount.
My nasal area cooled in temperature by a couple of degrees, as my biological response system redirected circulation from my nose and to my visual and auditory organs – a bodily response to enable me to see and detect for danger.
Most participants, comparable to my experience, bounced back rapidly; their noses warmed to normal readings within a brief period.
Lead researcher noted that being a media professional has probably made me "quite habituated to being subjected to anxiety-provoking circumstances".
"You are used to the recording equipment and talking with unfamiliar people, so you're likely somewhat resistant to interpersonal pressures," the scientist clarified.
"Nevertheless, even people with your background, trained to be tense circumstances, shows a bodily response alteration, so which implies this 'facial cooling' is a consistent measure of a shifting anxiety level."
Stress is part of life. But this discovery, the scientists say, could be used to aid in regulating negative degrees of anxiety.
"The duration it takes someone to recover from this cooling effect could be an objective measure of how well an individual controls their anxiety," noted the principal investigator.
"If they bounce back remarkably delayed, could that be a risk marker of anxiety or depression? Is this an aspect that we can address?"
As this approach is non-invasive and monitors physiological changes, it could additionally prove valuable to monitor stress in babies or in individuals unable to express themselves.
The second task in my tension measurement was, from my perspective, more challenging than the initial one. I was told to calculate in reverse starting from 2023 in intervals of 17. One of the observers of expressionless people interrupted me whenever I made a mistake and told me to start again.
I admit, I am poor with calculating mentally.
During the uncomfortable period attempting to compel my brain to perform subtraction, all I could think was that I wished to leave the growing uncomfortable space.
In the course of the investigation, only one of the multiple participants for the tension evaluation did actually ask to exit. The remainder, comparable to my experience, finished their assignments – presumably feeling varying degrees of humiliation – and were compensated by another calming session of ambient sound through audio devices at the finish.
Maybe among the most remarkable features of the approach is that, as heat-sensing technology measure a physical stress response that is natural to many primates, it can additionally be applied in non-human apes.
The investigators are presently creating its application in refuges for primates, including chimpanzees and gorillas. They want to work out how to lower tension and enhance the welfare of animals that may have been saved from traumatic circumstances.
The team has already found that showing adult chimpanzees video footage of infant chimps has a soothing influence. When the scientists installed a visual device adjacent to the rehabilitated primates' habitat, they noticed the facial regions of creatures that observed the footage warm up.
Therefore, regarding anxiety, viewing infant primates engaging in activities is the opposite of a unexpected employment assessment or an spontaneous calculation test.
Implementing heat-sensing technology in ape sanctuaries could demonstrate itself as beneficial in supporting rehabilitated creatures to adapt and acclimate to a different community and unfamiliar environment.
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