Doing Math in Your Head Really Causes Me Anxiety and Research Confirms It

After being requested to give an impromptu brief presentation and then count backwards in steps of 17 – before a panel of three strangers – the acute stress was written on my face.

The reason was that scientists were filming this rather frightening scenario for a investigation that is examining tension using heat-sensing technology.

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

Thermal imaging, according to the psychologists leading the investigation could be a "game changer" in tension analysis.

The Scientific Tension Assessment

The scientific tension assessment that I subjected myself to is meticulously designed and deliberately designed to be an unexpected challenge. I came to the research facility with no idea what I was facing.

First, I was instructed to position myself, relax and listen to background static through a set of headphones.

So far, so calming.

Subsequently, the investigator who was running the test brought in a trio of unknown individuals into the area. They all stared at me without speaking as the investigator stated that I now had three minutes to develop a five minute speech about my "perfect occupation".

While experiencing the heat rise around my neck, the experts documented my complexion altering through their heat-sensing equipment. My facial temperature immediately decreased in heat – showing colder on the heat map – as I considered how to manage this impromptu speech.

Scientific Results

The researchers have conducted this identical tension assessment on multiple participants. In all instances, they observed the nasal area dip in temperature by several degrees.

My nasal area cooled in temperature by a small amount, as my physiological mechanism pushed blood flow away from my face and to my sensory systems – a bodily response to assist me in look and listen for threats.

Nearly all volunteers, similar to myself, bounced back rapidly; their noses warmed to pre-stressed levels within a few minutes.

Principal investigator stated that being a journalist and presenter has probably made me "somewhat accustomed to being put in anxiety-provoking circumstances".

"You are used to the recording equipment and talking with unknown individuals, so it's probable you're somewhat resistant to public speaking anxieties," the scientist clarified.

"However, even individuals such as yourself, trained to be anxiety-provoking scenarios, demonstrates a biological blood flow shift, so this indicates this 'nose temperature drop' is a robust marker of a shifting anxiety level."

Stress Management Applications

Stress is part of life. But this revelation, the experts claim, could be used to aid in regulating negative degrees of tension.

"The duration it takes an individual to bounce back from this temperature drop could be an quantifiable indicator of how well a person manages their tension," said the lead researcher.

"Should they recover exceptionally gradually, could this indicate a warning sign of anxiety or depression? Is it something that we can address?"

Because this technique is non-invasive and records biological reactions, it could furthermore be beneficial to monitor stress in infants or in those with communication challenges.

The Mental Arithmetic Challenge

The subsequent challenge in my tension measurement was, from my perspective, more difficult than the opening task. I was told to calculate in reverse starting from 2023 in steps of 17. One of the observers of expressionless people halted my progress whenever I committed an error and told me to begin anew.

I confess, I am inexperienced in calculating mentally.

As I spent awkward duration striving to push my brain to perform arithmetic operations, all I could think was that I wished to leave the increasingly stuffy room.

During the research, only one of the numerous subjects for the tension evaluation did genuinely request to leave. The remainder, like me, finished their assignments – probably enduring varying degrees of discomfort – and were compensated by another calming session of background static through earphones at the finish.

Non-Human Applications

Possibly included in the most unexpected elements of the method is that, since infrared imaging monitor physiological anxiety indicators that is inherent within various monkey types, it can furthermore be utilized in non-human apes.

The investigators are presently creating its application in habitats for large monkeys, comprising various ape species. They want to work out how to reduce stress and enhance the welfare of creatures that may have been rescued from distressing situations.

The team has already found that showing adult chimpanzees recorded material of young primates has a relaxing impact. When the researchers set up a display monitor near the protected apes' living area, they noticed the facial regions of creatures that observed the material increase in temperature.

Therefore, regarding anxiety, watching baby animals playing is the contrary to a spontaneous career evaluation or an on-the-spot subtraction task.

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 unfamiliar collective and unfamiliar environment.

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