Our sweat glands reveal our well-being in real-time

What is it about?

We studied sweat gland activity, called Electrodermal Activity (EDA). EDA signals are widely studied as an indicator of stress. Pro-longed stress level can negatively influence our overall well-being. With the rising popularity of smart watches and wearable sensor devices, measuring EDA in everyday life to track ones well-being becomes feasible. Contributing to this idea, we present a comparison of continuous EDA signals against individuals' continuous reports on their own feelings. Our findings indicate a significant positive correlation between EDA characteristics and this self-report. It demonstrates EDA's ability to map the subjective experience of well-being in real-time.

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Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash

Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash

Why is it important?

In our society, stress is denoted as the 21st century black plague, with more and more people suffering from this seemingly modern disease. Despite advancements in wearable technology, it is still challenging to accurately track our well-being throughout the day. Our research suggests that EDA is a promising tool for real-time monitoring of well-being. Through the use of wearable, this frees the way to early warning and preventive and persuasive strategies to secure an improved well-being and reduce stress. In time, we're hopeful that this could be a cornerstone towards smart and sensitive societies that support individual well-being.