Skin Conductance, One Of The Fastest Ways To Test Stress
Skin conductance (which used to be known as the galvanic skin response) is becoming one of the more common measuring tools for the autonomic nervous system as well as stress levels. When external or internal stimuli occur that change stress or attention levels in any number of internal systems there is a brief moment when the skin actually becomes a better conductor of electricity. This is also known as the electrodermal response and this change in conductivity can be measured, allowing for a wide range of tests.
The skin of a person in a state of relaxation does not conduct electricity well. This high resistance is usually measured as about 40 mV negative when compared to tissue inside the body. Sweat gland activity changes these properties by increasing skin conductance and changing the balance of positive and negative ions in the sweat. When a person gets more stressed there is a rise in the conductivity of skin and these changes tend to occur in waves. The term phasic is used to refer to these wavelike increases.
One of the more difficult aspects of a patient’s state to monitor has been emotional states. One of the key uses for skin conductivity changes is in lie detector tests, since the stress level of a subject can shift in very small ways when moving between truth and lies. Heart rate and blood pressure are impacted when stress levels rise but the shifts take a bit of time to happen and by the time the changes are noticeable the triggering stimulus is long past. Theelectrodermal response is very rapid and easy to measure, making it a fast and reliable way to track changes in both emotions and stress levels.
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