FILE: Stress · OPENED AUG 1 2026 · REV 2 LIVE FILE

Stress Research Desk

The working file on Stress. Each claim below is rated on its own evidence.

stress hub Evidence files: HRV·RHR·Sleep·VO2 Max·Wearable ECG·CGM·Recovery·Activity·Blood Oxygen·Respiratory Rate·Temperature

Does electrodermal activity track acute stress responses?

KnowYourPrime evidence rating Emerging Evidence currently favors the claim, but more confirmation is needed.

Electrodermal activity reflects sympathetic nervous system arousal associated with acute psychological stress.

Systematic-review or meta-analytic evidence affirms the core relationship.
Multiple supporting studies are consistent with the core relationship.
An anchor study is present but its own reported finding does not cleanly affirm this claim, so it does not count toward the Established threshold.
Null-result evidence bears directly on the claimed effect.

20 studies scored · 3 anchor · 16 supporting · 1 null-result · Last reviewed Sep 4, 2026

Do consumer wearables measure EDA accurately enough to be meaningful?

KnowYourPrime evidence rating Uncertain Evidence is conflicting, inconsistent, or difficult to interpret.

Consumer wearable EDA sensors measure electrodermal activity accurately enough for meaningful stress-related interpretation.

Multiple supporting studies are consistent with the core relationship.
An anchor study was assessed but it does not test this claim’s core relationship directly, so the evidence is treated as unsettled rather than affirming.
An anchor study was assessed but its finding is dominated by device or method variance, so the evidence is treated as unsettled rather than affirming.
An anchor study was assessed but its finding is dominated by device or method variance, so the evidence is treated as unsettled rather than affirming.
An anchor study was assessed but its finding is dominated by device or method variance, so the evidence is treated as unsettled rather than affirming.
At least one unresolved conflicting study bears on the core claim, capping the rating until reconciled.

15 studies scored · 4 anchor · 10 supporting · 1 conflicting · Last reviewed Sep 4, 2026

Studies in Pool34

Claims Rated2

Last PubMed SyncSep 4, 2026

Next Scheduled ReviewSep 11, 2026

2 RCTs 23 observational 2 validity studies 7 other

MAINTAINED BY The KnowYourPrime Research Desk · reviewed against new evidence on a rolling basis

Evidence for: Electrodermal activity reflects sympathetic nervous system arousal associated with acute psychological stress.

20 scored

Anchor Studies3

Electrodermal responses: what happens in the brain.

Journal

The Neuroscientist : a review journal bringing neurobiology, neurology and psychiatry · 2002

PMID

11954558

RCR

13.7

Citations

450

Study type

Review

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

animalsbrain

Focusing attention on biological markers of acute stressor intensity: Empirical evidence and limitations.

Journal

Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews · 2021

PMID

31954151

RCR

2.0

Citations

Study type

Review

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

animalsautonomic nervous system

Evidence of differences in diurnal electrodermal, temperature and heart rate patterns by mental health status in free-living data.

Journal

BMJ mental health · 2025

PMID

40819881

Citations

Study type

Clinical trial

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

humansmale

Supporting Studies16

Electrodermal Activity and Stress Assessment.

Journal

Prilozi (Makedonska akademija na naukite i umetnostite. Oddelenie za medicinski nauki) · 2021

PMID

33011695

RCR

2.1

Citations

Study type

Primary study

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

arousalautonomic nervous system

Exploring physiological stress response evoked by passive translational acceleration in healthy adults: a pilot study utilizing electrodermal activity and heart rate variability measurements.

Journal

Scientific reports · 2024

PMID

38762532

RCR

3.5

Citations

Study type

Primary study

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

adultfemale

Event-Related Electrodermal Response to Stress: Results From a Realistic Driving Simulator Scenario.

Journal

Human factors · 2021

PMID

31050918

RCR

1.3

Citations

Study type

Primary study

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

adultautomobile driving

Electrophysiological detection of exam stress in health schools' students.

Journal

Physiology international · 2024

PMID

39024024

RCR

0.4

Citations

Study type

Primary study

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

humansmale

Human Performance Deterioration Due to Prolonged Wakefulness Can Be Accurately Detected Using Time-Varying Spectral Analysis of Electrodermal Activity.

Journal

Human factors · 2019

PMID

29906207

RCR

1.1

Citations

Study type

Primary study

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

adolescentadult

Does Baseline Stress Affect Electrodermal Activity? A Serious-Game-Based Pilot Study.

Journal

Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual International Conference · 2025

PMID

40039590

RCR

0.0

Citations

Study type

Primary study

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

humanspilot projects

Correlation of non-invasive psycho-physiological and skin-physiological measures.

Journal

Skin research and technology : official journal of International Society for Bioengineering and the Skin (ISBS) [and] International Society for Digital Imaging of Skin (ISDIS) [and] International Society for Skin Imaging (ISSI) · 2024

PMID

38853249

RCR

0.4

Citations

Study type

Primary study

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

humansfemale

Detection of Cognitive Load Modulation by EDA and HRV.

Journal

Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025

PMID

40285033

RCR

3.3

Citations

Study type

Primary study

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

humansmale

Electrodermal Activity Based Pre-surgery Stress Detection Using a Wrist Wearable.

Journal

IEEE journal of biomedical and health informatics · 2020

PMID

30668508

RCR

2.5

Citations

Study type

Primary study

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

adultaged

Stress Detection Using Frequency Spectrum Analysis of Wrist-Measured Electrodermal Activity.

Journal

Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023

PMID

36679760

RCR

2.4

Citations

Study type

Primary study

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

wristgalvanic skin response

Efficient Feature-Selection-Based Stacking Model for Stress Detection Based on Chest Electrodermal Activity.

Journal

Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023

PMID

37571448

RCR

1.9

Citations

Study type

Primary study

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

artificial intelligencegalvanic skin response

Deep Support Vector Machines for the Identification of Stress Condition from Electrodermal Activity.

Journal

International journal of neural systems · 2021

PMID

32507059

RCR

1.3

Citations

Study type

Primary study

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

adultdeep learning

ComEDA: A new tool for stress assessment based on electrodermal activity.

Journal

Computers in biology and medicine · 2023

PMID

36215850

RCR

1.9

Citations

Study type

Primary study

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

humansgalvanic skin response

[title unavailable]

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

Multivariate Brain Prediction of Heart Rate and Skin Conductance Responses to Social Threat.

Journal

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2017

PMID

27881783

RCR

3.1

Citations

Study type

Primary study

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

brainbrain mapping

Assessing operator stress in collaborative robotics: A multimodal approach.

Journal

Applied ergonomics · 2024

PMID

39550871

RCR

2.2

Citations

Study type

Primary study

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

humansrobotics

Null-Result Studies1

The role of self-reported and physiological stress in nocebo hyperalgesia.

Journal

Biological psychology · 2024

PMID

38762001

RCR

0.8

Citations

Study type

Randomized controlled trial

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

Bears on

Core claim

humansmale

Evidence for: Consumer wearable EDA sensors measure electrodermal activity accurately enough for meaningful stress-related interpretation.

15 scored

Anchor Studies4

Publication recommendations for electrodermal measurements.

Journal

Psychophysiology · 2012

PMID

22680988

RCR

32.8

Citations

777

Study type

Guideline

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

artifactselectric stimulation

Current trends and opportunities in the methodology of electrodermal activity measurement.

Journal

Physiological measurement · 2022

PMID

35090148

RCR

4.6

Citations

Study type

Review

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

electrodesgalvanic skin response

Validation of the Fitbit Charge 5 for the Detection of Heart Rate and Electrodermal Activity.

Journal

Psychophysiology · 2025

PMID

40735859

Citations

Study type

Validity study

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

humansheart rate

Electrodermal activity measurements: a review of artifacts.

Journal

Physiological measurement · 2026

PMID

42269681

Citations

Study type

Review

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

artifactshumans

Supporting Studies10

Electrodermal responses: what happens in the brain.

Journal

The Neuroscientist : a review journal bringing neurobiology, neurology and psychiatry · 2002

PMID

11954558

RCR

13.7

Citations

450

Study type

Review

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

animalsbrain

Automatic identification of artifacts in electrodermal activity data.

Journal

Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual International Conference · 2016

PMID

26736662

RCR

5.2

Citations

Study type

Primary study

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

algorithmsgalvanic skin response

A Preliminary Study on Automatic Motion Artifact Detection in Electrodermal Activity Data Using Machine Learning.

Journal

Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual International Conference · 2022

PMID

34892695

RCR

1.7

Citations

Study type

Primary study

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

algorithmsartifacts

Simulation of ambulatory electrodermal activity and the handling of low-quality segments.

Journal

Computer methods and programs in biomedicine · 2023

PMID

37863009

RCR

0.3

Citations

Study type

Primary study

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

galvanic skin responsecomputer simulation

Automatic motion artifact detection in electrodermal activity signals using 1D U-net architecture.

Journal

Computers in biology and medicine · 2024

PMID

39270456

RCR

1.2

Citations

Study type

Primary study

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

humansartifacts

Point process temporal structure characterizes electrodermal activity.

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2021

PMID

33008878

RCR

1.7

Citations

Study type

Primary study

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

adultemotions

A data multiverse analysis investigating non-model based SCR quantification approaches.

Journal

Psychophysiology · 2022

PMID

35780077

RCR

2.4

Citations

Study type

Primary study

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

humansconditioning, classical

Adaptive thresholding increases sensitivity to detect changes in the rate of skin conductance responses to psychologically arousing stimuli in both laboratory and ambulatory settings.

Journal

International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology · 2024

PMID

38104772

RCR

2.1

Citations

Study type

Primary study

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

adultchild

Characterizing individual differences in SCR responsivity: A hybrid mixture and single-trial modeling framework.

Journal

Biological psychology · 2026

PMID

42401236

Citations

Study type

Primary study

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

humansgalvanic skin response

Beyond classical metrics: Generalizability theory across psychophysiological modalities.

Journal

International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology · 2026

PMID

41520835

Citations

Study type

Review

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

humanspsychophysiology

Conflicting Studies1

Stressing the accuracy: Wrist-worn wearable sensor validation over different conditions.

Journal

Psychophysiology · 2020

PMID

31332802

RCR

5.7

Citations

Study type

Validity study

Sample size

[ not stated in the abstract ]

Bears on

Core claim

adolescentadult

01On Our Desk

In Progress

What we're reading right now

A study only enters a claim's evidence once it's read in full and weighed against what's already in file.

Identified

Queued

Under Review

Extracted

Pending Consensus

Nothing on the desk this cycle.

02Research Log

AUG 1 2026

doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2026.109336 entered as supporting on the measurement_validity claim.

doi:10.1016/j.cmpb.2023.107859 entered as supporting on the measurement_validity claim.

doi:10.1016/j.compbiomed.2024.109139 entered as supporting on the measurement_validity claim.

doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2023.112280 entered as supporting on the measurement_validity claim.

doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2026.113321 entered as supporting on the measurement_validity claim.

doi:10.1073/pnas.2004403117 entered as supporting on the measurement_validity claim.

doi:10.1088/1361-6579/ac5007 entered as anchor on the measurement_validity claim.

doi:10.1088/1361-6579/ae7bae entered as anchor on the measurement_validity claim.

doi:10.1109/embc.2015.7318762 entered as supporting on the measurement_validity claim.

doi:10.1109/embc46164.2021.9629513 entered as supporting on the measurement_validity claim.

doi:10.1111/j.1469-8986.2012.01384.x entered as anchor on the measurement_validity claim.

doi:10.1111/psyp.14130 entered as supporting on the measurement_validity claim.

doi:10.1111/psyp.70116 entered as anchor on the measurement_validity claim.

doi:10.1177/107385840200800209 entered as supporting on the measurement_validity claim.

doi:10.1016/j.compbiomed.2022.106144 entered as supporting on the physiological claim.

doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.01.013 entered as anchor on the physiological claim.

doi:10.1038/s41598-024-61656-5 entered as supporting on the physiological claim.

doi:10.1109/embc53108.2024.10781944 entered as supporting on the physiological claim.

doi:10.1109/jbhi.2019.2893222 entered as supporting on the physiological claim.

doi:10.1111/srt.13745 entered as supporting on the physiological claim.

doi:10.1136/bmjment-2024-301307 entered as anchor on the physiological claim.

doi:10.1142/s0129065720500318 entered as supporting on the physiological claim.

doi:10.1177/0018720818781196 entered as supporting on the physiological claim.

doi:10.1177/0018720819842779 entered as supporting on the physiological claim.

doi:10.1177/107385840200800209 entered as anchor on the physiological claim.

doi:10.1556/2060.2024.00354 entered as supporting on the physiological claim.

doi:10.2478/prilozi-2020-0028 entered as supporting on the physiological claim.

doi:10.3390/s23020963 entered as supporting on the physiological claim.

doi:10.3390/s23156664 entered as supporting on the physiological claim.

doi:10.3390/s25082343 entered as supporting on the physiological claim.

AUG 14 2026

pmid:38441643 entered as supporting on the physiological claim.

SEP 4 2026

doi:10.1111/psyp.13441 entered as conflicting on the measurement_validity claim.

doi:10.1016/j.apergo.2024.104418 entered as supporting on the physiological claim.

doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2024.108818 entered as null_result on the physiological claim.

doi:10.1523/jneurosci.3672-15.2016 entered as supporting on the physiological claim.

SEP 4 2026

doi:10.1111/psyp.13441 entered as a conflicting study on the measurement_validity claim, bearing on the core claim.

It caps the rating until reconciled.

SEP 4 2026

doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2024.108818 entered as a null result study on the physiological claim, bearing on the core claim.

It caps the rating until reconciled.

04Revision Log

SEP 4 2026

physiological: Established → Emerging

Moved to Emerging by rule from the current evidence for: Electrodermal activity rises with acute sympathetic arousal induced by psychological stressors..

AUG 1 2026

measurement_validity: opened at Uncertain

Opened at Uncertain by rule from the current evidence for: Consumer wearable EDA measurements agree closely with research-grade reference recordings..

AUG 1 2026

physiological: opened at Established

Opened at Established by rule from the current evidence for: Electrodermal activity rises with acute sympathetic arousal induced by psychological stressors..

This page interprets published research. It is not medical advice. The KnowYourPrime Research Desk rates the evidence supporting a claim, not the claim itself. It does not diagnose or treat. Talk to your own doctor about your health.