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New Delhi: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras have identified measurable physiological indicators that can help identify students most vulnerable to test anxiety, paving the way for new, targeted interventions that could revolutionize the way educational systems approach stress and performance, according to officials.
The research has been published in Behavioral Brain Research, an international peer-reviewed journal that publishes studies on the neurobiological basis of behavioral and cognitive processes in humans and animals.
The study highlights how the brain and heart interact differently in students who struggle with exam anxiety, providing a scientific basis for early detection and personalized coping strategies.
According to the National Council of Educational Research and Training, test anxiety affects an estimated 81 percent of Indian students, often leading to poor academic performance and long-term mental health. While some students are able to perform under pressure, others fall into procrastination behaviors and are unable to cope effectively.
According to Venkatesh Balasubramaniam of the Department of Engineering Design, IIT Madras, the research team tried to understand why this happens, focusing on objective, physiological data that goes beyond self-reported perceptions.
“They discovered that when the brain-heart communication network breaks down during stress, some students are more likely to experience increased anxiety and avoidance, revealing a clear biological distinction between adaptive and maladaptive test responses,” he told PTI.
He said, “The success of the study lies in integrating two physiological markers: frontal alpha asymmetry – a brain-based indicator of emotional regulation – and heart rate variability – a measure of the heart’s adaptive control. Together, these signals help identify students prone to anxiety.”
Balasubramaniam explained that the team found that people with negative FAA patterns showed significantly weaker cardiovascular regulation during stress, meaning their tendency to worry could overwhelm the heart’s ability to remain balanced in the assessment setting.
“This nuanced understanding changes the way we look at academic stress – not as a purely psychological issue, but as an issue based on measurable physiological interactions,” he said.
Swathi Parameswaran, Research Scholar, IIT Madras, said that these insights open up immense possibilities for practical applications. By training artificial intelligence systems on these psycho-physiological markers, it may soon be possible to develop non-invasive, real-time monitoring tools that alert teachers and mental health professionals about at-risk students, without waiting for visible signs of distress.
“The findings also support the design of personalized stress management and behavioral interventions that could be incorporated into school and university wellness programs, providing proactive support rather than reactive treatment,” they added.
Although preliminary, the study, conducted with 52 participants, is an important step toward integrating neuroscience with educational psychology.
The team now aims to expand the research by including larger and more diverse participant groups and exploring additional factors such as sleep patterns and activity levels to refine the predictive models. Advanced techniques such as EEG-based connectivity mapping will also be used to deepen the understanding of heart-brain dynamics under stress.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without any modifications to the text.
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