This research is a common term project for two of my spring 2004 classes: mas.630 affective computing and 16.422 human supervisory control, respectively with Pr. Roz Picard (MIT Media Lab) and Pr. Missy Cummings (MIT Aero Astro). The goal of this project is to conduct a preliminary study on the influence of instant messaging on task performance, with an insight on how instant messaging influences the level of arousal, and if there is a correlation between the two. An experiment was conducted during which subjects played an Air Traffic Control (ATC) simulation game (primary task) while answering instant messages (IM) coming through a classical chat interface (secondary task). Task performance, time delay to respond to IM, and skin conductivity were measured during successive scenarii involving different levels of workload and flows of IM.