EEG Spectral Asymmetry Index Detects Differences Between Leaders and Non-leaders

摘要

The aim of the study was to find an objective indicator for evaluation of occupational stress. For this purpose, the electroencephalographic (EEG) spectral asymmetry index (SASI) was applied to estimate the differences between leaders and non-leaders. The experiments were performed on a group of 82 healthy volunteers who were divided into two subgroups of leaders and non-leaders taking into account whether their position comprised the leadership role or not. The resting eyes closed EEG signal was recorded and the signal in channel Pz was selected for calculation of SASI. The results indicated higher SASI values for the subgroup of leaders when compared to non-leaders and the difference between the subgroups was statistically significant. Higher SASI values could indicate increased psychological stress in leaders group and SASI could be a promising method in occupational health analysis.