🔗 Share this article

After being requested to deliver an unprepared brief presentation and then count backwards in intervals of 17 – while facing a group of unfamiliar people – the sudden tension was evident in my expression.

That is because scientists were documenting this rather frightening scenario for a research project that is studying stress using thermal cameras.

Anxiety modifies the blood distribution in the face, and researchers have found that the thermal decrease of a individual's nasal area can be used as a measure of stress levels and to track recuperation.

Thermal imaging, as stated by the scientists behind the study could be a "transformative advancement" in stress research.

The Scientific Tension Assessment

The scientific tension assessment that I underwent is precisely structured and deliberately designed to be an unpleasant surprise. I visited the university with no idea what I was about to experience.

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

Up to this point, very peaceful.

Then, the researcher who was conducting the experiment invited a group of unfamiliar people into the area. They collectively gazed at me without speaking as the scientist explained that I now had 180 seconds to develop a brief presentation about my "perfect occupation".

When noticing the warmth build around my throat, the scientists captured my skin tone shifting through their thermal camera. My facial temperature immediately decreased in warmth – appearing cooler on the infrared display – as I considered how to navigate this impromptu speech.

Scientific Results

The investigators have carried out this same stress test on multiple participants. In each, they saw their nose dip in temperature by several degrees.

My nasal area cooled in temperature by a small amount, as my biological response system redirected circulation from my nose and to my visual and auditory organs – a physical reaction to assist me in observe and hear for hazards.

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

Head scientist explained that being a reporter and broadcaster has probably made me "quite habituated to being placed in stressful positions".

"You're accustomed to the filming device and talking with unfamiliar people, so you're likely relatively robust to public speaking anxieties," the researcher noted.

"However, even individuals such as yourself, accustomed to being stressful situations, demonstrates a biological blood flow shift, so that suggests this 'nasal dip' is a consistent measure of a shifting anxiety level."

Stress Management Applications

Tension is inevitable. But this finding, the researchers state, could be used to assist in controlling harmful levels of anxiety.

"The period it takes a person to return to normal from this nasal dip could be an reliable gauge of how effectively a person manages their tension," said the lead researcher.

"If they bounce back unusually slowly, might this suggest a potential indicator of mental health concerns? Is it something that we can address?"

Since this method is non-intrusive and records biological reactions, it could also be useful to monitor stress in babies or in people who can't communicate.

The Mental Arithmetic Challenge

The following evaluation in my anxiety evaluation was, in my view, more challenging than the initial one. I was asked to count in reverse starting from 2023 in increments of seventeen. Someone on the panel of expressionless people interrupted me each instance I made a mistake and instructed me to recommence.

I confess, I am inexperienced in calculating mentally.

While I used uncomfortable period trying to force my brain to perform subtraction, all I could think was that I wished to leave the increasingly stuffy room.

In the course of the investigation, only one of the numerous subjects for the anxiety assessment did genuinely request to leave. The rest, similar to myself, accomplished their challenges – probably enduring different levels of embarrassment – and were compensated by another calming session of ambient sound through headphones at the conclusion.

Animal Research Applications

Perhaps one of the most surprising aspects of the method is that, because thermal cameras record biological tension reactions that is natural to numerous ape species, it can additionally be applied in other species.

The scientists are currently developing its application in habitats for large monkeys, such as chimps and gorillas. They want to work out how to reduce stress and enhance the welfare of animals that may have been saved from distressing situations.

The team has already found that showing adult chimpanzees video footage of infant chimps has a relaxing impact. When the researchers set up a visual device adjacent to the protected apes' living area, they saw the noses of primates that viewed the footage warm up.

Therefore, regarding anxiety, viewing infant primates engaging in activities is the opposite of a surprise job interview or an on-the-spot subtraction task.

Coming Implementations

Employing infrared imaging in monkey habitats could turn out to be beneficial in supporting rehabilitated creatures to adapt and acclimate to a new social group and strange surroundings.

"{