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Emotional support through AI: Venting to artificial intelligence or a perceived human may offer comparable emotional well-being benefits
- Truvace record
- TRV-2026-2590raw data (JSON)
- Version
- v1Published
- First published
- Evidence type
- Randomized controlled trial
- Sources
- 1 sourcePeer-reviewed
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Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots are increasingly being explored as sources of informal emotional support, with emerging evidence suggesting that venting to these systems can reduce negative affect. Yet, it remains unclear whether such benefits depend on the responder's perceived identity. Given that emotional relief from venting often hinges on perceived authenticity and emotional validation, this study investigates whether the emotional well-being benefits of venting differ when users believe they are int…
The gain
In a pre-registered experiment of 279 people, venting to an AI chatbot reduced stress and loneliness and raised perceived social support by about the same amount as venting to a perceived human.
What this doesn’t fix
Improvements were reported for only some emotional well-being outcomes, and the human condition used AI-generated responses presented as coming from a person rather than real human replies.
Sources
1 on file- Computers in Human Behavior Reportsdoi:10.1016/j.chbr.2026.101149
Cite this record
v1Truvace Impact Record TRV-2026-2590, v1: “Emotional support through AI: Venting to artificial intelligence or a perceived human may offer comparable emotional well-being benefits.” Truvace, 2026-11-12. /record/TRV-2026-2590 (accessed on the day you copy it). sha256 b216e3220d46f43b…
Change history
1 versionEvery change made to this record since it was first published, and why. Nothing has changed since it went up.
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