Good vibrations could hold answer to calming social anxiety

People who live with social anxiety could be given a helping hand to deal with their stress by the power of good vibrations, new research suggests. Computing scientists and psychologists from the University of Glasgow have worked with socially anxious people to prototype a series of handheld 'comfort objects' in a research study. The study tested whether the objects, which pulse and vibrate in patterns that recall calming sensations like purring cats or the pitter-patter of raindrops, could offer emotional support during an anxiety-inducing presentation. The results suggest that uniquely-shaped handheld objects which vibrate in ways that evoke personal emotional resonance for people may help to reduce the intensity of their feelings of anxiety in social situations. The finding, which builds on previous research into the potential benefits of tactile feedback technology as a way to regulate emotional distress, could inform the development of future devices designed to discreetly aid people in anxiety-creating social situations. The researchers discuss the process of collaborating with volunteers to develop the prototypes in a paper published in the journal ACM Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction. Dr Shaun Macdonald, of the University of Glasgow's School of Computing Science, led the research.