The way people type and use a computer mouse may be a better indicator of workplace stress than their heart rate, AFP reported, citing a Swiss study. 

Its authors believe that their model can help prevent chronic stress.

"The way we type on the keyboard and move the mouse seems to be a better indicator of our stress level than our heart rate in a work environment," wrote the researchers from Switzerland's Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. 

For the purposes of the current study, its authors observed 90 participants in a laboratory who performed realistic office tasks, such as scheduling meetings or recording and analyzing data.

The experts recorded the participants' mouse and keyboard behavior, as well as their heart rates, and regularly asked them how stressed they felt.

KNSB warns: Stress at work increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases

While some subjects were allowed to work undisturbed, half of the subjects were repeatedly interrupted by chat messages and were also invited to participate in a job interview.

Researchers have found that stressed people type and move the mouse differently than calm people.

"Stressed people move the mouse more often and more imprecisely and cover greater distances on the screen," the study authors explain. 

Experts have also found that people who feel stressed at work make more mistakes when they write and tend to write jerky, with very short pauses.

Calm individuals, on the other hand, take fewer but longer breaks when typing on the computer. 

The relationship between stress and keyboard and mouse behavior can be explained by the so-called

neuromotor noise theory.

"Increased levels of stress negatively affect our brain's ability to process information. This also affects our motor skills," explains psychologist and study co-author Jasmine Kerr.

The researchers note that there is an urgent need to find reliable ways to detect increased stress at work, which affects one in three employees in Switzerland. 

"Those affected often do not realize that their physical and mental resources are declining until it is too late," the researchers said.

They are currently testing their model using an app, with data being recorded by Swiss officials who have agreed to cooperate. 

The results are expected by the end of the year, adds BTA.

Workplace

stress