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When I was asked to deliver an unprepared five-minute speech and then subtract sequentially in intervals of 17 – while facing a trio of unknown individuals – the sudden tension was written on my face.

The reason was that scientists were documenting this rather frightening experience for a research project that is examining tension using infrared imaging.

Stress alters the blood distribution in the facial area, and experts have determined that the thermal decrease of a subject's face can be used as a measure of stress levels and to track recuperation.

Heat mapping, based on researcher findings conducting the research could be a "revolutionary development" in stress research.

The Scientific Tension Assessment

The scientific tension assessment that I participated in is meticulously designed and deliberately designed to be an unpleasant surprise. I came to the research facility with little knowledge what I was about to experience.

Initially, I was told to settle, calm down and experience ambient sound through a set of headphones.

So far, so calming.

Subsequently, the researcher who was conducting the experiment invited a panel of three strangers into the area. They all stared at me silently as the scientist explained that I now had a brief period to prepare a short talk about my "perfect occupation".

While experiencing the temperature increase around my throat, the scientists captured my face changing colour through their infrared device. My nasal area rapidly cooled in temperature – turning blue on the heat map – as I thought about how to manage this unplanned presentation.

Scientific Results

The investigators have carried out this same stress test on multiple participants. In all instances, they saw their nose decrease in warmth by between three and six degrees.

My facial temperature decreased in heat by two degrees, as my physiological mechanism redirected circulation from my face and to my eyes and ears – a physiological adaptation to assist me in see and detect for hazards.

Most participants, like me, bounced back rapidly; their noses warmed to baseline measurements within a few minutes.

Head scientist noted that being a media professional has probably made me "relatively adapted to being subjected to stressful positions".

"You are used to the recording equipment and speaking to unfamiliar people, so you're likely relatively robust to public speaking anxieties," she explained.

"However, even individuals such as yourself, experienced in handling anxiety-provoking scenarios, shows a physiological circulation change, so that suggests this 'facial cooling' is a consistent measure of a shifting anxiety level."

Tension Regulation Possibilities

Tension is inevitable. But this discovery, the researchers state, could be used to help manage harmful levels of tension.

"The period it takes an individual to bounce back from this temperature drop could be an reliable gauge of how effectively somebody regulates their anxiety," said the principal investigator.

"Should they recover exceptionally gradually, might this suggest a potential indicator of psychological issues? Is it something that we can do anything about?"

Since this method is without physical contact and measures a physical response, it could also be useful to track anxiety in newborns or in people who can't communicate.

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 sequentially decreasing from 2023 in intervals of 17. A member of the group of unresponsive individuals halted my progress every time I made a mistake and told me to start again.

I admit, I am inexperienced in mental arithmetic.

While I used uncomfortable period striving to push my mind to execute subtraction, all I could think was that I desired to escape the increasingly stuffy room.

Throughout the study, just a single of the 29 volunteers for the stress test did genuinely request to leave. The rest, like me, completed their tasks – likely experiencing different levels of discomfort – and were compensated by another calming session of background static through headphones at the finish.

Non-Human Applications

Perhaps one of the most surprising aspects of the method is that, since infrared imaging measure a physical stress response that is natural to many primates, it can furthermore be utilized in animal primates.

The researchers are presently creating its implementation within sanctuaries for great apes, including chimpanzees and gorillas. They aim to determine how to lower tension and boost the health of animals that may have been saved from traumatic circumstances.

Scientists have earlier determined that showing adult chimpanzees visual content of baby chimpanzees has a soothing influence. When the scientists installed a video screen adjacent to the rehabilitated primates' habitat, they saw the noses of primates that viewed the footage warm up.

Consequently, concerning tension, observing young creatures playing is the contrary to a surprise job interview or an on-the-spot subtraction task.

Future Applications

Employing infrared imaging in primate refuges could turn out to be valuable in helping rehabilitated creatures to adapt and acclimate to a unfamiliar collective and unfamiliar environment.

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