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When I was asked to present an off-the-cuff short talk and then count backwards in intervals of 17 – all in front of a panel of three strangers – the intense pressure was written on my face.

The reason was that psychologists were filming this quite daunting situation for a scientific study that is analyzing anxiety using heat-sensing technology.

Anxiety modifies the blood distribution in the countenance, and experts have determined that the thermal decrease of a person's nose can be used as a measure of stress levels and to monitor recovery.

Heat mapping, as stated by the scientists conducting the research could be a "game changer" in stress research.

The Research Anxiety Evaluation

The scientific tension assessment that I underwent is carefully controlled and intentionally created to be an discomforting experience. I arrived at the academic institution with little knowledge what I was in for.

Initially, I was told to settle, calm down and listen to white noise through a pair of earphones.

Up to this point, very peaceful.

Subsequently, the scientist who was overseeing the assessment introduced a trio of unknown individuals into the room. They all stared at me silently as the scientist explained that I now had three minutes to prepare a brief presentation about my "dream job".

As I felt the temperature increase around my neck, the experts documented my skin tone shifting through their infrared device. My facial temperature immediately decreased in temperature – showing colder on the thermal image – as I thought about how to navigate this unplanned presentation.

Research Findings

The investigators have conducted this same stress test on multiple participants. In every case, they observed the nasal area decrease in warmth by between three and six degrees.

My nose dropped in temperature by a couple of degrees, as my biological response system pushed blood flow away from my nasal region and to my sensory systems – a physiological adaptation to enable me to see and detect for threats.

Nearly all volunteers, comparable to my experience, bounced back rapidly; their nasal areas heated to pre-stressed levels within a short time.

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

"You're accustomed to the recording equipment and conversing with strangers, so you're likely quite resilient to interpersonal pressures," the researcher noted.

"However, even individuals such as yourself, trained to be anxiety-provoking scenarios, shows a physiological circulation change, so that suggests this 'facial cooling' is a consistent measure of a altering tension condition."

Tension Regulation Possibilities

Anxiety is natural. But this revelation, the scientists say, could be used to aid in regulating negative degrees of anxiety.

"The period it takes a person to return to normal from this temperature drop could be an objective measure of how efficiently an individual controls their stress," noted the principal investigator.

"If they bounce back unusually slowly, might this suggest a potential indicator of psychological issues? Could this be a factor that we can address?"

Since this method is without physical contact and records biological reactions, it could additionally prove valuable to monitor stress in babies or in those with communication challenges.

The Calculation Anxiety Assessment

The following evaluation in my anxiety evaluation was, in my view, even worse than the opening task. I was told to calculate in reverse starting from 2023 in steps of 17. A member of the group of expressionless people stopped me each instance I calculated incorrectly and asked me to begin anew.

I confess, I am poor with calculating mentally.

While I used embarrassing length of time attempting to compel my mind to execute subtraction, my sole consideration was that I desired to escape the increasingly stuffy room.

Throughout the study, merely one of the multiple participants for the tension evaluation did truly seek to exit. The rest, comparable to my experience, completed their tasks – likely experiencing different levels of embarrassment – and were compensated by an additional relaxation period of background static through audio devices at the end.

Animal Research 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 various monkey types, it can also be used in other species.

The scientists are actively working on its implementation within habitats for large monkeys, including chimpanzees and gorillas. They aim to determine how to decrease anxiety and enhance the welfare of primates that may have been saved from harmful environments.

Scientists have earlier determined that showing adult chimpanzees video footage of infant chimps has a soothing influence. When the scientists installed a video screen adjacent to the rehabilitated primates' habitat, they observed the nasal areas of primates that viewed the material increase in temperature.

Consequently, concerning tension, observing young creatures playing is the inverse of a spontaneous career evaluation or an on-the-spot subtraction task.

Future Applications

Employing infrared imaging in monkey habitats could demonstrate itself as valuable in helping protected primates to adapt and acclimate to a new social group and unknown territory.

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