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Upon being told to give an impromptu brief presentation and then subtract sequentially in steps of 17 – all in front of a group of unfamiliar people – the acute stress was written on my face.

The reason was that researchers were recording this rather frightening situation for a investigation that is studying stress using infrared imaging.

Stress alters the blood flow in the facial area, and experts have determined that the thermal decrease of a individual's nasal area can be used as a gauge of anxiety and to monitor recovery.

Infrared technology, according to the psychologists conducting the research could be a "game changer" in stress research.

The Scientific Tension Assessment

The experimental stress test that I underwent is carefully controlled and purposely arranged to be an discomforting experience. I arrived at the research facility with minimal awareness what I was facing.

First, I was instructed to position myself, unwind and experience background static through a pair of earphones.

Thus far, quite relaxing.

Then, the scientist who was conducting the experiment introduced a trio of unknown individuals into the room. They all stared at me without speaking as the researcher informed that I now had three minutes to create a brief presentation about my "ideal career".

As I felt the heat rise around my neck, the scientists captured my skin tone shifting through their thermal camera. My nose quickly dropped in warmth – appearing cooler on the infrared display – as I thought about how to manage this spontaneous talk.

Research Findings

The scientists have carried out this equivalent anxiety evaluation on numerous subjects. In every case, they observed the nasal area dip in temperature by between three and six degrees.

My nasal area cooled in temperature by a small amount, as my nervous system redirected circulation from my nose and to my eyes and ears – a bodily response to help me to look and listen for hazards.

Nearly all volunteers, comparable to my experience, recovered quickly; their facial temperatures rose to baseline measurements within a few minutes.

Principal investigator noted that being a media professional has probably made me "relatively adapted to being placed in stressful positions".

"You're familiar with the camera and speaking to unfamiliar people, so it's probable you're relatively robust to social stressors," the researcher noted.

"But even someone like you, experienced in handling stressful situations, demonstrates a bodily response alteration, so which implies this 'nose temperature drop' is a reliable indicator of a shifting anxiety level."

Stress Management Applications

Tension is inevitable. But this discovery, the scientists say, could be used to help manage negative degrees of stress.

"The length of time it takes an individual to bounce back from this cooling effect could be an objective measure of how well a person manages their anxiety," noted the principal investigator.

"When they return unusually slowly, could that be a potential indicator of anxiety or depression? Is it something that we can tackle?"

Since this method is non-intrusive and measures a physical response, it could furthermore be beneficial to observe tension in babies or in individuals unable to express themselves.

The Mathematical Stress Test

The subsequent challenge in my tension measurement was, in my view, even worse than the initial one. I was instructed to subtract backwards from 2023 in increments of seventeen. One of the observers of expressionless people halted my progress every time I calculated incorrectly and told me to recommence.

I acknowledge, I am poor with calculating mentally.

While I used embarrassing length of time trying to force my thinking to accomplish subtraction, my sole consideration was that I wished to leave the growing uncomfortable space.

Throughout the study, only one of the numerous subjects for the anxiety assessment did truly seek to leave. The remainder, similar to myself, completed their tasks – presumably feeling different levels of embarrassment – and were compensated by a further peaceful interval of white noise through earphones at the conclusion.

Non-Human Applications

Possibly included in the most surprising aspects of the technique is that, since infrared imaging measure a physical stress response that is innate in numerous ape species, it can also be used in other species.

The investigators are actively working on its use in sanctuaries for great apes, comprising various ape species. They seek to establish how to reduce stress and enhance the welfare of creatures that may have been rescued from distressing situations.

The team has already found that displaying to grown apes video footage of infant chimps has a relaxing impact. When the scientists installed a display monitor close to the protected apes' living area, they saw the noses of primates that viewed the content increase in temperature.

Consequently, concerning tension, viewing infant primates interacting is the opposite of a unexpected employment assessment or an impromptu mathematical challenge.

Future Applications

Using thermal cameras in ape sanctuaries could prove to be useful for assisting protected primates to adjust and settle in to a unfamiliar collective and unfamiliar environment.

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