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When I was asked to present an off-the-cuff five-minute speech and then calculate in reverse in increments of seventeen – before a group of unfamiliar people – the acute stress was written on my face.

That is because researchers were recording this rather frightening experience for a research project that is examining tension using thermal cameras.

Tension changes the circulation in the facial area, and experts have determined that the drop in temperature of a subject's face can be used as a gauge of anxiety and to monitor recovery.

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

The Research Anxiety Evaluation

The experimental stress test that I subjected myself to is carefully controlled and intentionally created to be an discomforting experience. I arrived at the research facility with minimal awareness what I was facing.

To begin, I was told to settle, calm down and experience white noise through a set of headphones.

Thus far, quite relaxing.

Subsequently, the researcher who was conducting the experiment brought in a trio of unknown individuals into the area. They all stared at me quietly as the researcher informed that I now had a brief period to develop a brief presentation about my "perfect occupation".

As I felt the warmth build around my collar area, the scientists captured my face changing colour through their heat-sensing equipment. My facial temperature immediately decreased in heat – showing colder on the heat map – as I contemplated ways to bluster my way through this impromptu speech.

Research Findings

The scientists have carried out this equivalent anxiety evaluation on numerous subjects. In each, they noticed the facial region cool down by between three and six degrees.

My facial temperature decreased in warmth by a small amount, as my biological response system redirected circulation from my face and to my eyes and ears – a physiological adaptation to help me to look and listen for threats.

Most participants, comparable to my experience, returned to normal swiftly; their noses warmed to pre-stressed levels within a brief period.

Lead researcher noted that being a journalist and presenter has probably made me "relatively adapted to being placed in tense situations".

"You're familiar with the filming device and conversing with strangers, so it's probable you're relatively robust to public speaking anxieties," the researcher noted.

"However, even individuals such as yourself, experienced in handling stressful situations, demonstrates a biological blood flow shift, so this indicates this 'nose temperature drop' is a robust marker of a changing stress state."

Stress Management Applications

Anxiety is natural. But this discovery, the experts claim, could be used to aid in regulating harmful levels of anxiety.

"The duration it takes a person to return to normal from this nasal dip could be an objective measure of how effectively a person manages their anxiety," said the lead researcher.

"If they bounce back exceptionally gradually, could that be a warning sign of mental health concerns? Is this an aspect that we can do anything about?"

Since this method is non-intrusive and measures a physical response, it could additionally prove valuable to monitor stress in newborns or in those with communication challenges.

The Calculation Anxiety Assessment

The subsequent challenge in my tension measurement was, personally, more challenging than the opening task. I was instructed to subtract backwards from 2023 in steps of 17. One of the observers of unresponsive individuals stopped me each instance I made a mistake and instructed me to recommence.

I confess, I am poor with mental arithmetic.

While I used embarrassing length of time striving to push my mind to execute arithmetic operations, the only thought was that I wished to leave the growing uncomfortable space.

In the course of the investigation, only one of the 29 volunteers for the anxiety assessment did genuinely request to leave. The others, comparable to my experience, accomplished their challenges – likely experiencing varying degrees of discomfort – and were compensated by a further peaceful interval of ambient sound through audio devices at the finish.

Animal Research Applications

Perhaps one of the most surprising aspects of the technique is that, since infrared imaging record biological tension reactions that is innate in various monkey types, it can additionally be applied in other species.

The scientists are presently creating its use in refuges for primates, including chimpanzees and gorillas. They seek to establish how to lower tension and enhance the welfare of primates that may have been saved from harmful environments.

Researchers have previously discovered that displaying to grown apes visual content of young primates has a relaxing impact. When the researchers set up a visual device near the protected apes' living area, they observed the nasal areas of animals that watched the material warm up.

Consequently, concerning tension, watching baby animals playing is the opposite of a surprise job interview or an impromptu mathematical challenge.

Potential Uses

Implementing heat-sensing technology in primate refuges could turn out to be useful for assisting protected primates to adapt and acclimate to a different community and unknown territory.

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