Toward emotion regulation via physical interaction

Abstract

Emotions can be regulated to fit a task in order to enhance task performance. Motor expressions can help regulate emotion. This paper briefly reports ongoing work on the design of physical interactions based on motor expressions that can help regulate emotion to fit a task. We argue that to be effective, such interactions must be made meaningful in relation to ongoing appraisal processes, and that such interactions can help regulate emotion via congruence, suppression, or incompatibility. We present previous work on the validation of these arguments within the context of supporting idea generation, and develop a roadmap for research that aims to translate these results to the design of physical interactions under device constraints. The research will enable designers of interactive technology to develop physical interactions that help regulate emotion with the aim to help people get the most out of their own capabilities.

On the Use of Movement-Based Interaction with Smart Textiles for Emotion Regulation

“…This study explored the scenario where a textile-based emotion wear t-shirt would be available to users. Initially, we reviewed the literature to identify the body movements that impact human emotions [ 7 , 8 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. We identified the flexion and extension movements that affect the angle between two parts of the body.…”

“…While open and closed arms and neck flexion movements belong to the torso expanding motions, the elbow and shoulder flexion/extension belong to the upward-opening body movements. These movements are thought to contribute to enhancing positive emotions [ 7 , 8 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. Moreover, the smart t-shirt covers the upper body allowing the users to conveniently perform these movements in any posture (such as standing or sitting).…”

“…What has been largely ignored is that body motions, including bodily postures, voluntary and involuntary motor movements, can also affect emotions. The potential of using body movement-based interaction for emotion regulation remains relatively unexplored [ 7 , 8 , 9 ].…”

“…It can detect four body movements (elbow flexion/extension, shoulder flexion/extension, open and closed arms, neck flexion/extension) and provide three basic feedback mechanisms (audio, visual, and vibrotactile) to motivate users to perform these movements. Previous psychological literature shows that these four body movements can regulate emotion in an effective manner [ 7 , 8 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. In this paper, we report the results of our experiment and offer a new perspective on emotion regulation through movement-based interactive textiles.…”

Exploring the Design of Interactive Smart Textiles for Emotion Regulation

“…In previous studies, it has been suggested that there is a bi-directional relationship between emotion and body motor behaviour [5,6]. Body movements can be used not only to express emotions but also to influence how we feel due to the mirror neurons.…”