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After being requested to deliver an unprepared five-minute speech and then count backwards in intervals of 17 – before a trio of unknown individuals – the acute stress was written on my face.

The reason was that psychologists were recording this somewhat terrifying situation for a research project that is studying stress using thermal cameras.

Anxiety modifies the blood distribution in the facial area, and scientists have discovered that the thermal decrease of a subject's face can be used as a indicator of tension and to observe restoration.

Infrared technology, as stated by the scientists conducting the research could be a "revolutionary development" in tension analysis.

The Experimental Stress Test

The experimental stress test that I underwent is meticulously designed and intentionally created to be an unpleasant surprise. I came to the research facility with no idea what I was in for.

First, I was instructed to position myself, relax and experience background static through a audio headset.

So far, so calming.

Afterward, the scientist who was conducting the experiment invited a panel of three strangers into the room. They each looked at me silently as the scientist explained that I now had a brief period to create a brief presentation about my "ideal career".

While experiencing the temperature increase around my collar area, the scientists captured my face changing colour through their heat-sensing equipment. My nasal area rapidly cooled in temperature – appearing cooler on the thermal image – as I considered how to navigate this spontaneous talk.

Scientific Results

The investigators have carried out this identical tension assessment on 29 volunteers. In all instances, they noticed the facial region dip in temperature by between three and six degrees.

My nose dropped in heat by a small amount, as my biological response system shifted blood distribution from my face and to my visual and auditory organs – a physiological adaptation to enable me to observe and hear for threats.

Most participants, like me, bounced back rapidly; their nasal areas heated to normal readings within a short time.

Lead researcher explained that being a journalist and presenter has probably made me "quite habituated to being put in stressful positions".

"You're familiar with the recording equipment and talking with unknown individuals, so it's probable you're relatively robust to public speaking anxieties," she explained.

"Nevertheless, even people with your background, accustomed to being stressful situations, demonstrates a physiological circulation change, so that suggests this 'facial cooling' is a robust marker of a changing stress state."

Anxiety Control Uses

Tension is inevitable. But this revelation, the experts claim, could be used to help manage negative degrees of anxiety.

"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 stress," explained the lead researcher.

"If they bounce back unusually slowly, could that be 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 monitors physiological changes, it could furthermore be beneficial to observe tension in newborns or in individuals unable to express themselves.

The Mathematical Stress Test

The following evaluation in my anxiety evaluation was, in my view, more challenging than the opening task. I was instructed to subtract in reverse starting from 2023 in steps of 17. A member of the group of expressionless people interrupted me whenever I made a mistake and told me to begin anew.

I confess, I am bad at calculating mentally.

During the uncomfortable period trying to force my brain to perform arithmetic operations, the only thought was that I desired to escape the growing uncomfortable space.

During the research, only one of the multiple participants for the tension evaluation did truly seek to leave. The rest, comparable to my experience, finished their assignments – probably enduring varying degrees of embarrassment – and were compensated by an additional relaxation period of background static through headphones at the conclusion.

Animal Research Applications

Maybe among the most surprising aspects of the method is that, because thermal cameras measure a physical stress response that is natural to numerous ape species, it can furthermore be utilized in other species.

The scientists are presently creating its use in sanctuaries for great apes, comprising various ape species. They aim to determine how to decrease anxiety and enhance the welfare of primates that may have been saved from distressing situations.

Researchers have previously discovered that displaying to grown apes recorded material of infant chimps has a relaxing impact. When the scientists installed a visual device adjacent to the protected apes' living area, they observed the nasal areas of animals that watched the footage warm up.

Therefore, regarding anxiety, watching baby animals interacting is the opposite of a surprise job interview or an on-the-spot subtraction task.

Potential Uses

Employing infrared imaging in primate refuges could turn out to be valuable in helping rehabilitated creatures to adjust and settle in to a different community and strange surroundings.

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