Scientists Detect Office Stress by Studying How People Use Mouse and Keyboard

The way people print and use mouse Computer activity may be a better indicator of stress than heart rate, Swiss researchers said on Tuesday, adding that their model could help prevent chronic stress.

Researchers at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ) explained that they used new data and machine learning to develop this new model for level detection. stress At work.

“The way we print and move mouse seems to be better than heart rate at predicting the degree stress in an office environment,” says Mara Nagelin, mathematician and author of the study.

Stress Research

During the study, ETHZ researchers observed 90 participants in the lab performing tasks that approximated reality, such as scheduling meetings or recording and analyzing data.

They recorded the participants’ behavior with mouse And keyboardas well as heart rate, and they were periodically asked how they feel under stress.

While some participants were allowed to work undisturbed, half of the group was repeatedly interrupted by chat messages and also asked to take part in an interview.

They determined that stressed people type and move mouse as opposed to the relaxed ones.

“Stressed people move the pointer mouse more often and less accurately, and cover large distances on the screen,” Nagelin says.

The researchers also found that people who are stressed at the office make more typing mistakes and take many short breaks.

Conversely, relaxed people take fewer but more breaks.

Connection between stress and behavior with keyboard And mouse This can be explained by the so-called neuromotor noise theory.

“Level up stress This negatively affects our brain’s ability to process information. It also affects our motor skills,” says psychologist and co-author Jasmine Kerr.

Researchers say there is an urgent need to find reliable ways to detect increased stress at work, noting that one in three workers in Switzerland suffers stress work.

They are currently testing their model with data from Swiss employees who agreed to have their behavior recorded using mouse And keyboardas well as heart rate during exercise using the app.

According to ETHZ, the results are expected by the end of the year.

The researchers acknowledge that the data they collect is sensitive and add that they work with employees and ethicists to ensure it is handled responsibly. (AFP)

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