Changing pupil size counteracts stress

2023-11-02 02:26:00

This is shown by a study by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich. This finding is said to have enormous potential for the treatment of stress and anxiety disorders.

For the study, the researchers first taught 27 test subjects to control their pupils by breathing or visualizing threatening situations. The test subjects sat in front of a screen that recorded how well they succeeded.

Some of the test subjects were shown the result on the screen. People who received real-time feedback about their pupil size were better able to control their arousal state and pupil size. The pupillary feedback allowed them to find the relaxation and activation techniques that worked best for them. In a second step, we examined what influence this change in the size of the pupils had on the heart rate. The pulse of the subjects who were able to control their pupils better decreased and rose more than the pulse of the people who received no feedback.