Quantifying the Mind: Worry, Tension, and Anxiety

To quantify non-linear behavior of physiologic system such as the cardiovascular control system, we first used lobsters because we are invertebrate neurobiologists. After finding that the lobsters can display its emotion by changing the pattern of heart-beating, we extended the method to human: The heartbeat represents momently varying emotional tension. We show that this variation of the inner world is detectable and quantifiable using a long-time electrocardiogram (EKG). In each investigation, we captured 2000 heartbeats without missing a single beat. The heartbeat interval time series was analyzed by “modified detrended fluctuation analysis (mDFA)” technique, which we have recently developed by our group. The mDFA calculates the scaling exponent (SI, scaling index). A normal healthy heartbeat exhibits an SI of around 1.0. The heartbeat recorded from subjects who have stress and anxiety exhibited a lower SI. The values of SI changed one right after the other when circumstances and atmospheres surrounding subjects were changed. We report that the mDFA technique is a useful computation method for checking the mind and health.