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The palpable stress was evident when I was unexpectedly tasked with delivering a five-minute speech, followed by counting backwards in intervals of 17 – all before a panel of three unfamiliar faces.
This somewhat daunting experience was part of a research project conducted by psychologists at the University of Sussex, who are utilizing thermal cameras to study stress responses.
Scientists have observed that stress induces alterations in facial blood flow, and a decrease in nasal temperature can serve as a quantifiable metric for stress levels and recovery monitoring.
According to the psychologists leading the study, thermal imaging holds the potential to be a “game changer” in the field of stress research.
The experimental stress test I underwent was meticulously designed and deliberately orchestrated to be an unwelcome surprise. I arrived at the university with no prior knowledge of what awaited me.
Initially, I was instructed to relax and listen to white noise through headphones.
Thus far, a calming experience.
Subsequently, the researcher overseeing the test invited a panel of three strangers into the room. They maintained a silent gaze as the researcher informed me that I had three minutes to prepare a five-minute speech about my “dream job.”
As I felt a surge of heat around my neck, the scientists employed their thermal camera to capture the shifts in my facial complexion. My nasal temperature rapidly declined, registering as blue on the thermal image, as I contemplated how to navigate this impromptu presentation. (I resolved to seize the opportunity to advocate for my inclusion in the astronaut training program!)
The Sussex researchers have administered this same stress test to 29 volunteers. In each instance, they observed a nasal temperature decrease ranging from three to six degrees.
My own nasal temperature dropped by two degrees, as my nervous system redirected blood flow away from my nose and towards my eyes and ears – a physiological response intended to heighten my awareness of potential threats.
The majority of participants, like myself, experienced a swift recovery, with their nasal temperatures returning to pre-stress levels within a matter of minutes.
Lead researcher, Prof. Gillian Forrester, posited that my background as a reporter and broadcaster has likely made me “quite habituated to being put in stressful positions.”
“You are accustomed to cameras and interacting with strangers, so you are probably quite resilient to social stressors,” she elaborated.
“However, even someone with your training in stressful situations exhibits a biological shift in blood flow, suggesting that this ‘nasal dip’ is a reliable indicator of a changing stress state.”
Stress is an inherent aspect of life. However, the scientists believe this discovery could potentially be harnessed to manage detrimental stress levels.
“The duration it takes for an individual to recover from this nasal dip could serve as an objective measurement of their stress regulation capabilities,” stated Prof. Forrester.
“If their recovery is unusually prolonged, could this be a risk factor for anxiety or depression? Is this something that we can address?”
Given its non-invasive nature and reliance on a physical response, this technique could also prove valuable in monitoring stress levels in infants or individuals with communication limitations.
The second component of my stress assessment was, in my estimation, even more challenging than the first. I was instructed to count backwards from 2023 in increments of 17. One of the impassive strangers on the panel interrupted me each time I made an error and directed me to begin again.
I readily concede that I am deficient in mental arithmetic.
As I spent an embarrassing amount of time struggling to perform the subtractions, my overriding desire was to escape the increasingly stuffy room.
During the research, only one of the 29 volunteers requested to discontinue the stress test. The remaining participants, myself included, completed the tasks – presumably experiencing varying degrees of humiliation – and were rewarded with another calming session of white noise through headphones at the conclusion.
Prof. Forrester will present this novel thermal stress-measuring method to a live audience at the New Scientist Live event in London on October 18th.
Perhaps one of the most remarkable aspects of this approach is that, because thermal cameras detect a physical stress response that is innate in many primates, it can also be applied to non-human apes.
The researchers are currently adapting its application in sanctuaries for great apes, including chimpanzees and gorillas. Their goal is to identify strategies to mitigate stress and enhance the well-being of animals that may have been rescued from traumatic circumstances.
The team has already discovered that showing adult chimpanzees video footage of baby chimpanzees has a calming effect. When a video screen was positioned near the rescued chimps’ enclosure, the researchers observed a warming of the noses of the animals that watched the footage.
Therefore, in the context of stress, watching baby animals play is the antithesis of a surprise job interview or an impromptu subtraction task.
The use of thermal cameras in ape sanctuaries could prove invaluable in assisting rescued animals in acclimating to new social groups and unfamiliar surroundings.
“They are unable to articulate their feelings and can be adept at concealing them,” explained Marianne Paisley, a researcher from the University of Sussex who is studying great ape wellbeing.
“We’ve [studied] primates for the last 100 years or so to help us understand ourselves.”
“Now we know so much about human mental health, so maybe we can use that and give back to them.”
Thus, perhaps my own minor scientific ordeal could contribute, in a small way, to alleviating distress in some of our primate cousins.
Additional reporting by Kate Stephens. Photography by Kevin Church
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