Computer Mouse Movements as an Indicator of Work Stress: Longitudinal Observational Field Study
Journal
Journal of Medical Internet Research
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2021-03-10
Author(s)
Abstract
Background: Work stress affects individual health and well-being. These negative effects could be mitigated through regular monitoring of employees’ stress. Such monitoring becomes even more important as the digital transformation of the economy implies profound changes in working conditions.
Objective: The goal of this study was to investigate the association between computer mouse movements and work stress in the field.
Methods: We hypothesized that stress is associated with a speed-accuracy trade-off in computer mouse movements. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a longitudinal field study at a large business organization, where computer mouse movements from regular work activities were monitored over 7 weeks; the study included 70 subjects and 1829 observations. A Bayesian regression model was used to estimate whether self-reported acute work stress was associated with a speed-accuracy trade-off in computer mouse movements.
Results: There was a negative association between stress and the two-way interaction term of mouse speed and accuracy (mean −0.32, 95% highest posterior density interval −0.58 to −0.08), which means that stress was associated with a speed-accuracy trade-off. The estimated association was not sensitive to different processing of the data and remained negative after controlling for the demographics, health, and personality traits of subjects.
Conclusions: Self-reported acute stress is associated with computer mouse movements, specifically in the form of a speed-accuracy trade-off. This finding suggests that the regular analysis of computer mouse movements could indicate work stress.
Objective: The goal of this study was to investigate the association between computer mouse movements and work stress in the field.
Methods: We hypothesized that stress is associated with a speed-accuracy trade-off in computer mouse movements. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a longitudinal field study at a large business organization, where computer mouse movements from regular work activities were monitored over 7 weeks; the study included 70 subjects and 1829 observations. A Bayesian regression model was used to estimate whether self-reported acute work stress was associated with a speed-accuracy trade-off in computer mouse movements.
Results: There was a negative association between stress and the two-way interaction term of mouse speed and accuracy (mean −0.32, 95% highest posterior density interval −0.58 to −0.08), which means that stress was associated with a speed-accuracy trade-off. The estimated association was not sensitive to different processing of the data and remained negative after controlling for the demographics, health, and personality traits of subjects.
Conclusions: Self-reported acute stress is associated with computer mouse movements, specifically in the form of a speed-accuracy trade-off. This finding suggests that the regular analysis of computer mouse movements could indicate work stress.
Language
English
Keywords
Biomarker
Stress detection
digital health
health intervention
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
HSG Profile Area
SoM - Business Innovation
Refereed
No
Publisher
JMIR Publications
Volume
23
Number
4
Official URL
Division(s)
Eprints ID
262104
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
Name
Banholzer et al 2021 Computer Mouse Stress.pdf
Size
333.34 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
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