MindBeat: A Multimodal Interface for Stress Recovery through Rhythmic Fidgeting

Abstract

High-pressure work often elicits negative emotions and impairs performance. In settings where attention is limited, people struggle to use regulatory strategies that require active control or sustained effort. Although fidgeting is common in such contexts, its potential as a designable regulatory behavior remains underexplored. We designed MindBeat, a multimodal system prototype based on fidgeting, to support a lightweight, user-negotiable form of embodied self-regulation. In a short mixed-methods study (N = 32), MindBeat did not increase the likelihood of fidgeting occurring, but significantly increased the duration of fidgets and produced different recovery trajectories in HR, state anxiety, and negative affect compared to a control condition. Further analyses show that the duration and frequency of rhythmic fidgets, as well as subjective rhythm-following experiences, were associated with multiple psychological and physiological recovery measures. We discuss how rhythmic scaffolding can transform fragmented, often suppressed fidgets into a callable regulatory medium, and reflect on the value and limits of such systems.