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Upon being told to deliver an unprepared five-minute speech and then calculate in reverse in increments of seventeen – all in front of a group of unfamiliar people – the intense pressure was evident in my expression.

That is because psychologists were recording this somewhat terrifying situation for a research project that is analyzing anxiety using thermal cameras.

Anxiety modifies the blood distribution in the facial area, 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 monitor recovery.

Thermal imaging, according to the psychologists conducting the research could be a "transformative advancement" in stress research.

The Experimental Stress Test

The experimental stress test that I participated in is precisely structured and intentionally created to be an discomforting experience. I visited the academic institution with little knowledge what I was in for.

Initially, I was instructed to position myself, calm down and hear background static through a set of headphones.

So far, so calming.

Then, the researcher who was running the test brought in a group of unfamiliar people into the area. They each looked at me quietly as the investigator stated that I now had three minutes to develop a five minute speech about my "ideal career".

As I felt the temperature increase around my neck, the researchers recorded my complexion altering through their infrared device. My facial temperature immediately decreased in heat – showing colder on the thermal image – as I considered how to manage this unplanned presentation.

Scientific Results

The researchers have carried out this same stress test on 29 volunteers. In all instances, they observed the nasal area dip in temperature by a noticeable amount.

My nasal area cooled in temperature by a small amount, as my physiological mechanism redirected circulation from my nasal region and to my visual and auditory organs – a bodily response to help me to observe and hear for threats.

Nearly all volunteers, comparable to my experience, recovered quickly; their nasal areas heated to pre-stressed levels within a few minutes.

Head scientist stated that being a media professional has probably made me "quite habituated to being put in stressful positions".

"You're familiar with the recording equipment and conversing with strangers, so you're probably somewhat resistant to public speaking anxieties," the scientist clarified.

"However, even individuals such as yourself, experienced in handling stressful situations, exhibits a physiological circulation change, so this indicates this 'nose temperature drop' is a reliable indicator of a altering tension condition."

Stress Management Applications

Tension is inevitable. But this discovery, the researchers state, could be used to aid in regulating negative degrees of stress.

"The duration it takes an individual to bounce back from this nasal dip could be an objective measure of how well an individual controls their stress," said the lead researcher.

"Should they recover unusually slowly, 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 also be useful to monitor stress in newborns or in those with communication challenges.

The Mathematical Stress Test

The following evaluation in my stress assessment was, from my perspective, more difficult than the first. I was asked to count sequentially decreasing from 2023 in steps of 17. A member of the group of three impassive strangers interrupted me each instance I made a mistake and told me to start again.

I admit, I am poor with mental arithmetic.

As I spent uncomfortable period trying to force my mind to execute mathematical calculations, the only thought was that I desired to escape the progressively tense environment.

Throughout the study, only one of the multiple participants for the stress test did genuinely request to depart. The rest, like me, accomplished their challenges – likely experiencing different levels of embarrassment – and were given another calming session of ambient sound through headphones at the conclusion.

Non-Human Applications

Maybe among the most remarkable features of the method is that, since infrared imaging measure a physical stress response that is innate in various monkey types, it can also be used in other species.

The researchers are presently creating its implementation within refuges for primates, comprising various ape species. They seek to establish how to lower tension and enhance the welfare of creatures that may have been saved from distressing situations.

Researchers have previously discovered that presenting mature chimps recorded material of young primates has a soothing influence. When the investigators placed a visual device adjacent to the rehabilitated primates' habitat, they observed the nasal areas of primates that viewed the material warm up.

So, in terms of stress, viewing infant primates playing is the inverse of a surprise job interview or an spontaneous calculation test.

Future Applications

Using thermal cameras in monkey habitats could demonstrate itself as valuable in helping protected primates to adapt and acclimate to a unfamiliar collective and unknown territory.

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