Unique Characteristics of Human-Chatbot Conversations and Their Potential for Mental Health Support

Abstract

The availability and accessibility of psychological support is critical for the global population's mental health. Artificial social agents like chatbots have recently gained popularity, showing a growing potential for their use in mental health care. The current study investigates how users express emotions online when interacting with a commercially available chatbot (Simsimi) and posting on a public social media platform (Twitter). Our results suggest that private conversations with a chatbot tend to be more emotionally charged and focus on personal issues more frequently than messages posted on Twitter. Our findings suggest that private conversations with a chatbot are more emotionally charged and more likely to focus on personal issues than messages posted on Twitter. Users may feel more comfortable sharing mental health issues with a chatbot than on social media, during major upheavals like the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings show the potential for personalized chatbot-assisted mental health support, particularly in the event of long-term disasters.