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.