Using handheld GSR readers for stress relief at home

Garryck Holmes

A year or so ago I was experiencing a particular amount of stress in my life, and having always struggled in some way or another with anxiety, trying many different methods to overcome these struggles, I decided to turn to the equipment we have at the University to see if any of it could help. I had spent so many sessions demonstrating the handheld GSR devices to students as part of our “lie detector” sessions. I had heard though that these little GSR devices were being used more and more for stress relief at home, so I thought I might run my own little experiment and see for myself how I found it!

What is a GSR reader?

The GSR’s that we use here at the University will read two things, skin conductivity (sweat) and temperature. I prefer to use the skin conductivity method as you have a more variable reading, making it easier to use. The temperature setting is fantastic too, but extremely sensitive and sometimes more difficult to use. You can’t have both plugged into the finger sensor at the same time unfortunately, but there’s nothing stopping you using one and then trying the other.

To use the skin conductivity sensor, you place your index and middle finger on the sensor, and plug the earphones into the side. There is a dial on the side, which you turn until you get a steady tone. The higher pitched the tone, the more stressed you are (in theory!). There are various things you can do to help bring the pitch of the tone down, such as breathing exercises, listening to relaxing music, or meditation. I chose to listen to relaxing music and focus on my breathing. 

What did I find?

After using the GSR for a week, I realised I could get the pitch of the tone to remain fairly steady, and if the pitch rose I could bring it back down just by controlling my breathing. I tried the breathing exercises with and without music, and found that listening to relaxing music (in this case, London Grammar) really helped too. The only downside to listening to music while having the GSR headphones in was that listening to lovely London Grammar while listening to the tone of the GSR was slightly annoying, as you can’t adjust the volume of the GSR so you must increase the volume of the music. Apart from that, a very successful home trial!

 

If you are interested in trying one of these GSRs for yourself, you can come and see me in my office at the University of Cumbria (SKG35, Fusehill Street) or you can purchase one online from here

Let me know how you find it!

Garryck Holmes is one of our Psychology Technicians. If you would like to contact him then please email him on Garryck.Holmes@cumbria.ac.uk