Stressed Out (Brilliant Biology Experiments)

You will need:

1. A very complicated mathematical test sheet
2. Stopwatch
3. Pen and paper
4. Thermometer
5. A volunteer

Conduct this experiment and find out how stress affects the body and its temperature.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Before beginning the experiment, take the temperature of your test subject and ask him to rate how stressed he feels on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the lowest.
2. Give him a test with complicated multiplication problems and only 5 minutes to solve. Tell him that he will get a prize only if he solves the entire test correctly within the time-frame.
3. Give him 5 minutes to calm himself. Then give him the test sheet and 5 minutes to complete the test.
4. After 5 minutes, take the test sheet and monitor his temperature using the thermometer. Also, ask him how stressed he feels on a scale of 1 to 10.

RESULT

While heat production in the body is known as thermogenesis (when we develop a fever and even when we eat), a second type of heating mechanism kicks in, known as non-shivering thermogenesis which occurs when stressful events take place, resulting in the brown adipose tissue in the body regulating body temperature.