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Face Tattoo Measures the Brain’s Ideal Productivity Zone
Prototype device detects mental effort to find the sweet spot between boredom and burnout, where stuff gets done
When you’re disinterested, disengaged or otherwise bored with a challenging task, it’s hard to get much done, research shows. On the other hand, if you put too much mental effort into it, the brain can fry pretty quickly. Somewhere in between — what some psychologists call a Goldilocks zone of mental effort — is the best way to maintain productivity. But how do you know when your effort is just right?
A prototype new device, dubbed an electronic face tattoo, holds future promise for finding that sweet spot by measuring brain waves and eye movements.
In initial tests, the e-tattoo successfully measured changing levels of mental strain in six volunteers as they worked on a mental task that grew increasingly difficult. Sensors in the paper-thin, removable tattoo function like those bulky brain-monitoring head caps you might’ve seen used in previous studies, with wires running every which way. The e-tattoo moulded specifically to each person’s face and stuck with removable adhesive, making it less cumbersome and also more accurate and effective at tracking electronic signals inside the brain, the scientists explained…
