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After being requested to deliver an unprepared five-minute speech and then subtract sequentially in steps of 17 – while facing a panel of three strangers – the intense pressure was evident in my expression.

That is because psychologists were recording this rather frightening experience for a research project that is studying stress using thermal cameras.

Stress alters the blood flow in the face, and researchers have found that the drop in temperature of a person's nose can be used as a indicator of tension and to observe restoration.

Infrared technology, as stated by the scientists leading the investigation could be a "transformative advancement" in tension analysis.

The Scientific Tension Assessment

The experimental stress test that I subjected myself to is carefully controlled and intentionally created to be an unpleasant surprise. I visited the university with no idea what I was facing.

Initially, I was asked to sit, relax and listen to white noise through a audio headset.

Thus far, quite relaxing.

Then, the investigator who was running the test invited a panel of three strangers into the area. They all stared at me without speaking as the scientist explained that I now had three minutes to develop a five minute speech about my "dream job".

While experiencing the temperature increase around my neck, the scientists captured my complexion altering through their heat-sensing equipment. My facial temperature immediately decreased in temperature – turning blue on the thermal image – as I contemplated ways to manage this impromptu speech.

Scientific Results

The researchers have carried out this equivalent anxiety evaluation on 29 volunteers. In every case, they saw their nose dip in temperature by a noticeable amount.

My nasal area cooled in heat by two degrees, as my biological response system pushed blood flow away from my nasal region and to my visual and auditory organs – a physiological adaptation to help me to look and listen for hazards.

Most participants, similar to myself, returned to normal swiftly; their nasal areas heated to normal readings within a few minutes.

Principal investigator stated that being a media professional has probably made me "quite habituated to being placed in tense situations".

"You are used to the camera and conversing with strangers, so you're likely relatively robust to interpersonal pressures," she explained.

"However, even individuals such as yourself, experienced in handling stressful situations, exhibits a physiological circulation change, so this indicates this 'nasal dip' is a robust marker of a altering tension condition."

Stress Management Applications

Stress is part of life. But this revelation, the researchers state, could be used to aid in regulating harmful levels of tension.

"The period it takes a person to return to normal from this nasal dip could be an quantifiable indicator of how well an individual controls their anxiety," said the lead researcher.

"If they bounce back unusually slowly, might this suggest a warning sign of anxiety or depression? Is this an aspect that we can address?"

Since this method is non-invasive and measures a physical response, it could also be useful to monitor stress in newborns or in individuals unable to express themselves.

The Mental Arithmetic Challenge

The subsequent challenge in my anxiety evaluation was, from my perspective, more difficult than the initial one. I was instructed to subtract in reverse starting from 2023 in steps of 17. Someone on the panel of unresponsive individuals interrupted me every time I committed an error and told me to recommence.

I acknowledge, I am poor with doing math in my head.

During the awkward duration striving to push my brain to perform subtraction, my sole consideration was that I wished to leave the growing uncomfortable space.

In the course of the investigation, just a single of the multiple participants for the anxiety assessment did truly seek to exit. The rest, comparable to my experience, finished their assignments – presumably feeling assorted amounts of embarrassment – and were given another calming session of white noise through headphones at the finish.

Non-Human Applications

Perhaps one of the most surprising aspects of the technique is that, as heat-sensing technology record biological tension reactions that is natural to various monkey types, it can also be used in other species.

The investigators are actively working on its use in refuges for primates, such as chimps and gorillas. They want to work out how to lower tension and boost the health of animals that may have been saved from distressing situations.

Scientists have earlier determined that presenting mature chimps recorded material of baby chimpanzees has a relaxing impact. When the scientists installed a display monitor adjacent to the rescued chimps' enclosure, they saw the noses of animals that watched the content heat up.

Consequently, concerning tension, watching baby animals playing is the contrary to a unexpected employment assessment or an on-the-spot subtraction task.

Future Applications

Implementing heat-sensing technology in ape sanctuaries could turn out to be beneficial in supporting rescued animals to adjust and settle in to a different community and unknown territory.

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