In a new study, researchers at ETH Zurich have used new data and machine learning to develop a model that can tell how stressed people are just from the way they type and use a computer mouse. The lead author of the study, Ms. Mara Nagelin, a mathematician who conducts research at the Chair of Technology Marketing and the Mobiliar Lab for Analytics at ETH Zurich, explained that the usage of the keyboard and movements of the mouse are better predictors of how stressed one feels in an office environment than our heart rate.

Ms. Mara explained that the connection between stress and typing and mouse behavior can be explained with the help of neuromotor noise theory. According to the theory, increased levels of stress negatively impact the brain`s ability to process information, and motor skills.

In the study, the researchers developed their stress model and observed 90 study participants in the lab performing office tasks that were as close to reality as possible, such as planning appointments or recording and analyzing data.

They recorded the mouse and keyboard behavior of the participants along with their heart rates. Additionally, they asked the participants several questions during the experiment to assess the degree of stress. However, in comparison to the earlier studies, where the control group often did not have to solve any tasks at all and could relax, in this experiment, all participants had to perform the office tasks.

In an experiment, the researchers proved that stressed people type and move their mice differently from relaxed people. They showed that people who feel stressed in the office make more mistakes when typing, whereas relaxed people take fewer but longer pauses when typing on a keyboard. 

(Source: https://theprint.in/health/how-people-type-and-click-can-detect-their-stress-at-work-study/1526089/ )