Doing Math in Your Head Truly Stresses Me Out and Research Confirms It

Upon being told to give an impromptu short talk and then subtract sequentially in increments of seventeen – while facing a group of unfamiliar people – the acute stress was visible in my features.

The reason was that psychologists were documenting this rather frightening scenario for a research project that is analyzing anxiety using infrared imaging.

Tension changes the blood distribution in the countenance, and researchers have found that the thermal decrease of a person's nose can be used as a indicator of tension and to track recuperation.

Thermal imaging, according to the psychologists behind the study could be a "game changer" in anxiety studies.

The Research Anxiety Evaluation

The research anxiety evaluation that I participated in is precisely structured and intentionally created to be an unpleasant surprise. I arrived at the university with little knowledge what I was in for.

Initially, I was instructed to position myself, unwind and experience ambient sound through a audio headset.

So far, so calming.

Afterward, the researcher who was running the test brought in a trio of unknown individuals into the area. They each looked at me quietly as the investigator stated that I now had a brief period to create a brief presentation about my "perfect occupation".

As I felt the heat rise around my collar area, the researchers recorded my complexion altering through their heat-sensing equipment. My nose quickly dropped in temperature – showing colder on the infrared display – as I contemplated ways to manage this impromptu speech.

Research Findings

The researchers have carried out this same stress test on numerous subjects. In every case, they observed the nasal area dip in temperature by a noticeable amount.

My nose dropped in temperature by a couple of degrees, as my physiological mechanism shifted blood distribution from my face and to my eyes and ears – a physiological adaptation to help me to look and listen for hazards.

Most participants, like me, returned to normal swiftly; their noses warmed to normal readings within a short time.

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

"You are used to the filming device and talking with unfamiliar people, so you're likely relatively robust to public speaking anxieties," the researcher noted.

"However, even individuals such as yourself, experienced in handling anxiety-provoking scenarios, demonstrates a biological blood flow shift, so that suggests this 'nasal dip' is a robust marker of a altering tension condition."

Anxiety Control Uses

Stress is part of life. But this finding, the scientists say, could be used to help manage damaging amounts of stress.

"The period it takes an individual to bounce back from this temperature drop could be an quantifiable indicator of how efficiently an individual controls their anxiety," noted the principal investigator.

"When they return unusually slowly, could this indicate a potential indicator of anxiety or depression? Could this be a factor that we can do anything about?"

Because this technique is non-invasive and records biological reactions, it could furthermore be beneficial to monitor stress in infants or in individuals unable to express themselves.

The Mathematical Stress Test

The subsequent challenge in my stress assessment was, in my view, even worse than the initial one. I was instructed to subtract in reverse starting from 2023 in increments of seventeen. One of the observers of expressionless people halted my progress every time I calculated incorrectly and instructed me to start again.

I confess, I am inexperienced in mental arithmetic.

As I spent uncomfortable period striving to push my mind to execute subtraction, my sole consideration was that I wished to leave the growing uncomfortable space.

Throughout the study, only one of the multiple participants for the tension evaluation did truly seek to exit. The rest, comparable to my experience, accomplished their challenges – probably enduring different levels of embarrassment – and were given another calming session of background static through earphones at the finish.

Animal Research Applications

Perhaps one of the most surprising aspects of the approach is that, since infrared imaging monitor physiological anxiety indicators that is innate in numerous ape species, it can also be used in animal primates.

The researchers are actively working on its use in sanctuaries for great apes, comprising various ape species. They want to work out how to lower tension and improve the wellbeing of creatures that may have been rescued from harmful environments.

The team has already found that showing adult chimpanzees visual content of infant chimps has a relaxing impact. When the investigators placed a display monitor close to the rehabilitated primates' habitat, they noticed the facial regions of creatures that observed the material increase in temperature.

Therefore, regarding anxiety, watching baby animals playing is the opposite of a surprise job interview or an impromptu mathematical challenge.

Future Applications

Implementing heat-sensing technology in primate refuges could turn out to be beneficial in supporting rescued animals to adapt and acclimate to a unfamiliar collective and unfamiliar environment.

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