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Cited by 265Death Anxiety and Social ExclusionSocial Robot Interaction and HRIDigital Mental Health Interventions

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

Open access
de Gennaro, Mauro, Krumhuber, Eva G., Lucas, Gale·2020·Frontiers in Psychology
DOI 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.03061PMC PMC6989433
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Abstract

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.

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  • Relative to chatbots that do not express empathy, chatbots that express empathy lead to more favorable ratings of companionship and better mood after experiencing social exclusion.

    “Relative to chatbots that do not express empathy, chatbots that express empathy lead to more favorable ratings of companionship, i.e., the activities done together are perceived as more enjoyable or exciting (Boucher et al. 2021; Leite et al. 2013), and better mood after experiencing social exclusion (De Gennaro, Krumhuber, and Lucas 2020).”

    From AI Companions Reduce Loneliness (2024) · cites this paper as De Gennaro, Krumhuber, and Lucas 2020

  • CAs with advanced empathetic skills have improved user affinities and experiences.

    “CAs with advanced empathetic skills have improved user affinities and experiences [77,78].”

    From Conversational Agent Interventions for Mental Health Problems: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (2023) · cites this paper as [77]

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Research works printed but not linked: 9

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Authors
de Gennaro, M., Krumhuber, E. G., & Lucas, G.
Affiliations
  • University College London (GB)
  • University of Southern California (US)
Corresponding author
Krumhuber, Eva G.
ORCID
Venue
Frontiers in Psychology
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Published
2020-01-23
Volume
10
Pages
3061-3061
ISSN
1664-1078 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3389/fpsyg.2019.03061
PMC
PMC6989433
OpenAlex
W3000840260
Cited by
265
References
136
Citations by year
2026: 39 · 2025: 63 · 2024: 69 · 2023: 29 · 2022: 37 · 2021: 26 · 2020: 2
FWCI
25.69
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Frontiers in Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Social Robot Interaction and HRI
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
Keywords
social exclusion, ostracism, mood, chatbot intervention, emotional support, buffer hypothesis, mental health

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