According to a new study led by the University of Glasgow, people who interact with social robots disclosed more about themselves over time and reported feeling less lonely. Further, the research found that interacting with a social robot improved people’s moods over time.

The study, which was recently published in the International Journal of Social Robotics, took place online during the peak of the pandemic, where people spoke to social robot “Pepper” over Zoom video chats ten times over five weeks. It aimed to examine the effects of long-term use of social robots, as well as peoples’ self-disclosure with them.

The research uncovered that people disclosed more to the robot over time, speaking for longer durations and sharing more information in the process. People also perceived the robot to be more social and competent as time progressed, with the robot’s responses being seen as increasingly comforting. This led to mood improvements and reduction in feelings of loneliness in the participants, which involved 39 people from across the UK.

Secondary data analysis from the same study revealed that individuals experiencing ‘negative’ emotions—stress, low mood, loneliness—as well as introverted individuals and those who perceive the robot as comforting, are more likely to open up and share more with robots.

Professor Emily Cross, an honorary professor at the University of Glasgow and a professor at the ETH Zurich university, remarked: “We’re really excited by the findings of our new study, which sets the stage for using social robots as conversation partners in future. While interactions with social robots are novel and exciting for many people, we were unsure to what extent people’s engagement with them could be sustained over time.

“The results of our study suggest there are contexts in which people are willing to engage with these robots long-term, and social robots could be used as a tool to allow people to talk about themselves, to help support people’s emotional health.”

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Dr Guy Laban, who’s an affiliated research associate at the University of Glasgow and postdoctoral research associate at the University of Cambridge, commented: “Our study lays the foundation for building relationships with robots, positioning them as valuable conversational partners, and providing crucial evidence for their potential inclusion in interventions supporting emotional health.

“It is exciting to see how this technology can be used for social good, providing meaning and a safe space to those in need. When conducting the experiment during the pandemic, we observed how a robot could lift people’s mood amid very dark and isolated times.

“Considering the recent advances in AI (e.g., generative AI and Large language models, like GPT), studies like this are crucial. They help us better understand how humans establish healthy and constructive relationships with AI agents, such as robots, supporting the ethical and responsible deployment of this technology in the future.”

The research was funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, and under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant ENTWINE: European Training Network on Informal Care, and the European Research Council (ERC) grant SOCIAL ROBOTS.