Quantifying and measuring the "emotion of the field"

Investigation of empathic emotional synchrony in chat-based counseling

Abstract

Previous studies have developed theories and estimation techniques based on the premise that emotions are internal states of individuals. However, empathy and the states of spaces and relationships are also important aspects of emotion, that emerge dynamically in the interaction between individuals. We aimed to formulate and measure such "emotions of field." Specifically, the flow of emotions dynamically changing during text-based SNS counseling was analyzed to formulate empathic synchrony. The valence of emotion (negative or not) of each message was estimated at the individual level using a dictionary of emotional words and a mixture-modeling. Regression analysis revealed that the emotional valence of each message was positively predicted by the emotional valence of the message of previous self and the partner, indicating emotional stability and empathic emotional synchrony. Counselors exhibited higher levels of both stability and empathy.