Effectiveness of an Empathic Chatbot in Combating Adverse Effects of Social Exclusion on Mood

Frontiers in Psychology

article

Mauro de Gennaro¹  Eva G. Krumhuber¹  Gale Lucas² 

[1] Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, United Kingdom;Institute for Creative Technologies, University of Southern California, United States

关键词: social exclusion;    empathy;    mood;    chatbot;    virtual human;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2019.03061

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

From past research it is well known that social exclusion has detrimental consequences for mental health. To deal with these adverse effects, socially excluded individuals frequently turn to other humans for emotional support. While chatbots can elicit social and emotional responses on the part of the human interlocutor, their effectiveness in the context of social exclusion has not been investigated. In the present study, we examined whether an empathic chatbot can serve as a buffer against the adverse effects of social ostracism. After experiencing exclusion on social media, participants were randomly assigned to either talk with an empathetic chatbot about it (e.g., “I’m sorry that this happened to you”) or a control condition where their responses were merely acknowledged (e.g., “Thank you for your feedback”). Replicating previous research, results revealed that experiences of social exclusion dampened the mood of participants. Interacting with an empathetic chatbot, however, appeared to have a mitigating impact. In particular, participants in the chatbot intervention condition reported higher mood than those in the control condition. Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications, as well as directions for future research are discussed.

【 授权许可】

CC BY