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When I was asked to present an off-the-cuff short talk and then calculate in reverse in intervals of 17 – before a panel of three strangers – the acute stress was visible in my features.

This occurred since researchers were recording this rather frightening experience for a scientific study that is analyzing anxiety using thermal cameras.

Tension changes the blood distribution in the face, and researchers have found that the drop in temperature of a subject's face can be used as a measure of stress levels and to track recuperation.

Thermal imaging, according to the psychologists conducting the research could be a "revolutionary development" in tension analysis.

The Experimental Stress Test

The scientific tension assessment that I subjected myself to is meticulously designed and purposely arranged to be an unexpected challenge. I came to the academic institution with minimal awareness what I was in for.

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

So far, so calming.

Then, the investigator who was conducting the experiment invited a group of unfamiliar people into the room. They each looked at me without speaking as the investigator stated that I now had 180 seconds to develop a short talk about my "perfect occupation".

While experiencing the temperature increase around my neck, the researchers recorded my face changing colour through their thermal camera. My facial temperature immediately decreased in warmth – turning blue on the infrared display – as I contemplated ways to bluster my way through this impromptu speech.

Scientific Results

The researchers have performed this same stress test on multiple participants. In all instances, they noticed the facial region decrease in warmth by between three and six degrees.

My facial temperature decreased in warmth by two degrees, as my nervous system shifted blood distribution from my nose and to my eyes and ears – a physical reaction to help me to look and listen for danger.

Nearly all volunteers, like me, bounced back rapidly; their facial temperatures rose to normal readings within a brief period.

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

"You are used to the filming device and talking with unknown individuals, so you're likely somewhat resistant to interpersonal pressures," she explained.

"However, even individuals such as yourself, trained to be anxiety-provoking scenarios, exhibits a physiological circulation change, so which implies this 'facial cooling' is a consistent measure of a changing stress state."

Stress Management Applications

Anxiety is natural. But this finding, the experts claim, could be used to help manage harmful levels of tension.

"The length of time it takes a person to return to normal from this nasal dip could be an objective measure of how effectively a person manages their tension," noted the head scientist.

"If they bounce back remarkably delayed, could this indicate a warning sign of psychological issues? Could this be a factor that we can tackle?"

Because this technique is non-intrusive and records biological reactions, it could additionally prove valuable to monitor stress in newborns or in people who can't communicate.

The Mathematical Stress Test

The second task in my anxiety evaluation was, in my view, more difficult than the initial one. I was told to calculate in reverse starting from 2023 in increments of seventeen. One of the observers of unresponsive individuals interrupted me every time I committed an error and instructed me to begin anew.

I admit, I am poor with doing math in my head.

As I spent embarrassing length of time trying to force my thinking to accomplish mathematical calculations, my sole consideration was that I wished to leave the growing uncomfortable space.

In the course of the investigation, merely one of the multiple participants for the tension evaluation did genuinely request to depart. The rest, like me, completed their tasks – probably enduring assorted amounts of embarrassment – and were given a further peaceful interval of ambient sound through earphones at the end.

Non-Human Applications

Possibly included in the most surprising aspects of the technique is that, as heat-sensing technology record biological tension reactions that is natural to numerous ape species, it can additionally be applied in animal primates.

The scientists are currently developing its implementation within refuges for primates, including chimpanzees and gorillas. They want to work out how to reduce stress and enhance the welfare of animals that may have been removed from distressing situations.

The team has already found that displaying to grown apes recorded material of young primates has a soothing influence. When the investigators placed a visual device adjacent to the protected apes' living area, they observed the nasal areas of animals that watched the material warm up.

Therefore, regarding anxiety, observing young creatures interacting is the opposite of a surprise job interview or an impromptu mathematical challenge.

Potential Uses

Implementing heat-sensing technology in monkey habitats could turn out to be useful for assisting rehabilitated creatures to adapt and acclimate to a different community and strange surroundings.

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