The Use of Wearable Technology in Providing Assistive Solutions for Mental Well-Being

Abstract

The main goal of this manuscript is to provide an extensive literature review and analysis of certain biomarkers, which are frequently used to identify stress, anxiety, and other emotions, leading to potential solutions for the monitoring of mental wellness using wearable technologies. It is possible to see the impacts of several biomarkers in detecting stress levels and their effectiveness with an investigation into the literature on this subject. Biofeedback training has demonstrated some psychological effects, such as a reduction in anxiety and self-control enhancement. This survey demonstrates backed up by evidence that wearable devices are assistive in providing health and mental wellness solutions. Because physical activity tracing would reduce the stress stressors, which affect the subject’s body, therefore, it would also affect the mental activity and would lead to a reduction in cognitive mental load.

Electrodermal activity: A continuous monitor of well-being

“…where OutcomeVariable ij is a representative for our two outcome variables, which represent the correlation values of amplitude and frequency of nsSCRs against self-report. Arousal 1ij reflects the level of arousal depicted in the stimuli which is either low (0) or high (1). The subscript i refers to the lower level 1 (i.e.…”

“…A smart society can than adapt and support the individual if they require this. Through the understanding of psychological states, we can intervene accordingly and ultimately enhance individual well-being, creating flourishing societies [1]. Well-being is defined as a construct divided in two branches: hedonic (i.e., positive and negative affect) and eudaimonic (i.e., overall fulfillment) [10,29].…”

“…One way in which this prolonged stress level can be expressed is through arousal (i.e. level of physiological activity) [1]. The comprehension of individual states can be achieved through diverse information channels, where we focus on biosignals.…”

“…More specifically, our interest lies in Electrodermal Activity (EDA), which measures the skin conductance as a result of sweat gland activity [5]. Despite recent advances in the integration of biosignal data into smart environments, substantial challenges persist related to (1) the effect of wearable biosensors on smart societies at large, (2) the real-time discrepancies between subjective arousal reports and EDA signals, and (3) the extended time window of EDA signals and its consequential impact.…”

“…However, most of this work uses biosensors in clinical or lab settings, with a few exceptions [15,36,37,41]. This contrasts the growing interest in monitoring stress and well-being in everyday life [1]. Over the last two decades, researchers have been investigating the development of unobtrusive biosensors: wearables.…”