Adding brief content-related information to sensitive-content screens does not exacerbate screen- or image-related distress

Content descriptions presented on sensitive-content screens reduce how often people view negative images. But does this reduction in exposure come at an emotional cost? Across two experiments, we investigated this possibility. In Experiment 1, we compared participants' change in state anxiety when exposed to sensitive-content screens with and without brief and detailed content descriptions. State anxiety was similar for participants who saw screens with and without brief content descriptions, but we found larger increases in state anxiety for detailed content descriptions. Therefore, detailed content descriptions negatively impact how people feel when they view sensitive-content screens. In Experiment 2, we presented participants with a single sensitive-content screen, either with or without a brief content description, and gave them the opportunity to uncover it. Participants who uncovered the screen viewed the negative image and then rated their distress. Most participants uncovered the screen and, irrespective of condition, reported similar image-related distress. Taken together, brief descriptions do not negatively impact how people feel when they view sensitive-content screens or the forewarned content. Therefore, brief content descriptions do not create an emotional cost. Social media platforms should move beyond merely warning about upcoming content and provide brief content descriptions indicating what the content depicts.

Passive sensing data predicts stress in university students: a supervised machine learning method for digital phenotyping

Introduction

University students are particularly susceptible to developing high levels of stress, which occur when environmental demands outweigh an individual's ability to cope. The growing advent of mental health smartphone apps has led to a surge in use by university students seeking ways to help them cope with stress. Use of these apps has afforded researchers the unique ability to collect extensive amounts of passive sensing data including GPS and step detection. Despite this, little is known about the relationship between passive sensing data and stress. Further, there are no established methodologies or tools to predict stress from passive sensing data in this group.

Methods

In this study, we establish a clear machine learning-based methodological pipeline for processing passive sensing data and extracting features that may be relevant in the context of mental health.

Results

We then use this methodology to determine the relationship between passive sensing data and stress in university students.

Discussion

In doing so, we offer the first proof-of-principle data for the utility of our methodological pipeline and highlight that passive sensing data can indeed digitally phenotype stress in university students.

Clinical trial registration

Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR), identifier ACTRN12621001223820.

The neurocomputational signature of decision-making for unfair offers in females under acute psychological stress

Stress is a crucial factor affecting social decision-making. However, its impacts on the behavioral and neural processes of females' unfairness decision-making remain unclear. Combining computational modeling and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), this study attempted to illuminate the neurocomputational signature of unfairness decision-making in females. We also considered the effect of trait stress coping styles. Forty-four healthy young females (20.98 ± 2.89 years) were randomly assigned to the stress group (n = 21) and the control group (n = 23). Acute psychosocial stress was induced by the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), and participants then completed the one-shot ultimatum game (UG) as responders. The results showed that acute psychosocial stress reduced the adaptability to fairness and lead to more random decision-making responses. Moreover, in the stress group, a high level of negative coping style predicted more deterministic decision. fNIRS results showed that stress led to an increase of oxy-hemoglobin (HbO) peak in the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ), while decreased the activation of left middle temporal gyrus (lMTG) when presented the moderately unfair (MU) offers. This signified more involvement of the mentalization and the inhibition of moral processing. Moreover, individuals with higher negative coping scores showed more deterministic decision behaviors under stress. Taken together, our study emphasizes the role of acute psychosocial stress in affecting females' unfairness decision-making mechanisms in social interactions, and provides evidences for the "tend and befriend" pattern based on a cognitive neuroscience perspec.

A nervous wait: Instagram's sensitive-content screens cause anticipatory anxiety but do not mitigate reactions to negative content

Online platforms like Instagram cover potentially distressing imagery with a sensitive-content screen (blurred imagery plus a content warning). Previous research suggests people typically choose to "uncover" and view screened content. In three studies, we investigated whether the presence of screens mitigates the negative emotional impact of viewing content. In Study 1, participants viewed positive and neutral images, and screens (with an option to view the negative images beneath) for a 5-minute period. In Study 2, half the participants saw a grey mask in place of the typical sensitive-content screen. In addition, each image appeared for a fixed period (5 s) and participants had no option to uncover it. Study 3 was like Study 2 except half the participants saw negative images preceded by a sensitive-content screen and half saw negative images without screens. Overall, participants reported a significant increase in state anxiety and negative affect from pre-to post task when they were exposed to sensitive-content screens, whether or not they were also exposed to the negative imagery beneath. Our data suggest sensitive-content screens cause negative responses - state anxiety and negative affect - that do not translate to an emotional benefit when people view negative content.

Catecholamines Promote Ovarian Cancer Progression through Secretion of CXC-Chemokines

Considerable evidence has accumulated in the last decade supporting the notion that chronic stress is closely related to the growth, metastasis, and angiogenesis of ovarian cancer. In this study, we analyzed the conditioned media in SKOV3 ovarian cancer cell lines treated with catecholamines to identify secreted proteins responding to chronic stress. Here, we observed that epinephrine and norepinephrine enhanced the secretion and mRNA expression of CXC-chemokines (CXCL1, 2, 3, and 8). Neutralizing antibodies to CXCL8 and CXCL8 receptor (CXCR2) inhibitors significantly reduced catecholamine-mediated invasion of SKOV3 cells. Finally, we found that the concentration of CXCL1 and CXCL8 in the plasma of ovarian cancer patients increased with stage progression. Taken together, these findings suggest that stress-related catecholamines may influence ovarian cancer progression through the secretion of CXC-chemokines.

Effects of chest movements while sitting on Navon task performance and stress levels

Background

This study explored physical activity during remote work, most of which takes place while sitting in front of a computer. The purpose of Experiment 1 was to develop a classification for body motion by creating a neural net that can distinguish among several kinds of chest movement. Experiment 2 examined the effects of chest movements on stress and performance on the Navon test to validate the model developed in Experiment 1.

Method and results

The procedures for this study were as follows.Experiment 1: Creation of the body movement classification model and preliminary experiment for Experiment 2.Data from five participants were used to construct a machine-learning categorization model. The other three participants participated in a pilot study for Experiment 2.Experiment 2: Model validation and confirmation of stress measurement validity.We recruited 34 new participants to test the validity of the model developed in Experiment 1. We asked 10 of the 34 participants to retake the stress measurement since the results of the stress assessment were unreliable.Using LSTM models, we classified six categories of chest movement in Experiment 1: walking, standing up and sitting down, sitting still, rotating, swinging, and rocking. The LSTM models yielded an accuracy rate of 83.8%. Experiment 2 tested the LSTM model and found that Navon task performance correlated with swinging chest movement. Due to the limited reliability of the stress measurement results, we were unable to draw a conclusion regarding the effects of body movements on stress. In terms of cognitive performance, swinging of the chest reduced RT and increased accuracy on the Navon task (β = .015 [-.003,.054], R2 = .31).

Conclusions

LSTM classification successfully distinguished subtle movements of the chest; however, only swinging was related to cognitive performance. Chest movements reduced the reaction time, improving cognitive performance. However, the stress measurements were not stable; thus, we were unable to draw a clear conclusion about the relationship between body movement and stress. The results indicated that swinging of the chest improved reaction times in the Navon task, while sitting still was not related to cognitive performance or stress. The present article discusses how to collect sensor data and analyze it using machine-learning methods as well as the future applicability of measuring physical activity during remote work.

Ongoing pain facilitates emotional decision-making behaviors

Emotion toward anticipated and actual outcomes acts as a vital signal on emotional decision-making, and the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) can mimic this decision-making process. Pain can impair emotional decision-making behaviors because it captures attention and distracts from the task at hand. Alternatively, pain may facilitate emotional decision-making behaviors by prompting alertness and mobilizing cognitive resources to maximize rewards. The present study investigated the influence of ongoing pain on emotional decision-making behaviors using the IGT. Our study recruited two groups of participants and applied capsaicin (pain group) or control cream (control group) to their forearms. We then compared performances and selections between the pain and control groups. The results revealed that participants successfully learned the required adaptive selection strategy as the task progressed. The study observed a tendency toward optimal choices for both groups under the condition of frequent–small losses. However, we observed a disadvantageous preference for the control group, but not the pain group, when faced with choices with infrequent but large losses. The study implies that a distressing pain experience motivates individuals to adjust goal-directed behaviors to maximize their rewards in a task. Thus, the finding suggests that ongoing pain facilitates emotional decision-making behaviors.

Effects of a Multi-Suckling System Combined With Enriched Housing Post-Weaning on Response and Cognitive Resilience to Isolation

Improving welfare is still a critical issue in pig husbandry. Upgrades of the housing environment seem to be a promising solution to optimise resilience as a whole, and therefore improve animal welfare. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of an alternative housing system to enhance cognitive resilience and also to promote the pigs' welfare. A total of 96 piglets from two contrasted housing systems [alternative housing system (AHS) vs. conventional system (CONV)] was used. The major upgrades of the alternative system were multi-litter housing during lactation, delayed weaning, extra space allowance, and environmental enrichment from birth onwards. To estimate welfare, weight, and feed intake (as a general indicator of performances), the tear staining area (as a chronic stress indicator), behavioural postures, heart rate traits, and saliva cortisol concentration were measured over a 21 h-isolation. To assess cognitive resilience, the pigs were subjected to a maze with a social reward both before and after the isolation challenge and indicators of cognitive abilities were followed. The AHS pigs showed lower cortisol levels and tear staining area before the challenge, demonstrating overall better welfare due to the alternative housing conditions. During the challenge, AHS pigs had a lower heart rate, higher heart rate variability, and higher vagal activity than the CONV pigs, which might indicate a reduced sensitivity to the stressor. AHS pigs appeared to have a better long-term memory tested in a maze. Providing social and environmental enrichments, that fit the satisfaction of the essential needs of the pigs better, appears to be beneficial for pig welfare as a whole. Its effects on cognitive resilience still need to be proven.

Don't stress, it's under control: Neural correlates of stressor controllability in humans

Animal research has repeatedly shown that control is a key variable in the brain's stress response. Uncontrollable stress triggers a release of monoamines, impairing prefrontal functions while enhancing subcortical circuits. Conversely, control over an adverse event involves prefrontally mediated downregulation of monoamine nuclei and is considered protective. However, it remains unclear to what extent these findings translate to humans. During functional magnetic resonance imaging, we subjected participants to controllable and uncontrollable aversive but non-painful electric stimuli, as well as to a control condition without aversive stimulation. In each trial, a symbol signalled whether participants could terminate the stressor through correct performance in a button-matching task or whether the stressor would be randomly terminated, i.e., uncontrollable. Along with neural responses, we assessed participants' accuracy, reaction times, and heart rate. To relate neural activations and subjective experience, we asked participants to rate perceived control, helplessness, and stress. Results were largely in line with our hypotheses. The vmPFC was generally deactivated by aversive stimulation, but this effect was attenuated when participants could terminate the stressor compared to when their responses had no effect. Furthermore, activation in stress-responsive regions, including the bilateral insula, was reduced during controllable trials. Under uncontrollable aversive stimulation, greater vmPFC recruitment was linked to reduced feelings of helplessness. An investigation of condition-dependant differences in vmPFC connectivity yielded no significant results. Our findings further corroborate animal research and emphasise the role of the vmPFC in controllability-dependant regulation of stress responses. Based on the results, we discuss future directions in the context of resilience research and mental health promotion.

Detrimental effects of prior self-control exertion on subsequent sporting skill performance

The prior exertion of self‐control has previously been shown to negatively affect physical performance, yet the effects on complex sporting skill performance have not been examined. Therefore, this study examined whether prior self‐control exertion influences performance on a field hockey task, alongside measuring plasma cortisol concentration and attention as potential mechanisms to explain any effects.

Following familiarization, 13 male hockey players (20 ± 1 years) participated in a randomized, order‐balanced, crossover design. For the manipulation of self‐control, participants completed an incongruent (self‐control exertion trial) or a congruent (control trial) Stroop task. Skill performance was assessed using a field hockey skills task. Capillary blood samples, for the determination of plasma cortisol concentration, were taken at baseline, post‐Stroop task, and post‐field hockey skills task. Cognitive tests of attention (RVIP and Flanker tasks) were completed following the field hockey skills task.

Participants made more errors in the latter stages of the field hockey skills task following self‐control exertion (trial*time interaction, p = 0.041). Participants also made more errors on the RVIP task following self‐control exertion (p = 0.035); yet the time taken to complete the hockey skills task, performance on the flanker task, and plasma cortisol concentrations were unaffected (all p > 0.05).

Overall, these findings suggest that prior self‐control exertion has detrimental effects on subsequent sporting skill performance (more errors made on the field hockey task), which may be explained by poorer sustained attention (lower accuracy on the RVIP task). This suggests that athletes should aim to avoid self‐control exertion before a competitive match to optimize performance.

Classroom wall color: a multiple variance analysis on social stress and concentration in learning environments

Purpose

Social stress is a psychological and biological pressure that stems from one's relationship with others in social environments, which has become the most serious humanitarian issue today. Learning environments are one of the most important environments for reducing or increasing social stress and concentration. This study aims to investigate the effect of classroom wall color on students' stress and concentration in four common types of classrooms.

Design/methodology/approach

This research is a survey of 275 university students with an age range of 20–24. The methodology is a combination of quantitative and qualitative research. Data analysis was performed by multiple variance analysis and the internal reliability of the questionnaire was calculated based on Cronbach's alpha.

Findings

Results show that classroom wall color has a significant effect on student stress and concentration. In class type one, wall color had an effect of 10.4% on stress and concentration; in the second type, this variable had an effect of 8.8%, also in the third type it had an effect of 7.3% and 8.8% in the fourth type.

Originality/value

It can be concluded that wall color has an effective role in understanding the level of stress and concentration of users in the classrooms, and considering this factor in designing classrooms improves students' behavior and the quality of education in learning environments.