APS Observer, Association for Psychological Science, 30 September 20208
Digital Emotion Regulation: Using Devices to Feel Different
Article by Beth Morling
Conceptualising and measuring digital emotion regulation
Project overview
This project aims to develop a theoretical framework and novel technologies to investigate how, where, when and why people engage in digital emotion regulation. Existing research shows that individuals often use digital technologies to shape their emotions in response to situations; yet social norms often cast such technology use as disrespectful or distracting. The discrepancy between the practice and perception of digital emotion regulation is due to the lack of a systematic understanding of these practices. This project aims to develop a novel framework for better understanding digital emotion regulation, ways to study it in everyday settings, and evidence-based recommendations for managing it in ways that benefit individuals and society.
The evidence provided by this project will inform the societal debate about technology overuse and its impact on work, education and interpersonal relationships. The created knowledge will inform policy-makers, designers, and end-users about appropriate use of technology in everyday settings.
Project team
- Prof Vassilis Kostakos
- Dr Greg Wadley
- Dr Jorge Goncalves
- Assoc Prof Wally Smith
- Assoc Prof Mario Alvarez-Jimenez
- Prof Anna Cox
- Prof James Gross
- Dr Peter Koval
Research fellows
Research opportunities
PhD position: Conceptualising and measuring digital emotion regulation
The University of Melbourne invites applications for a fully-funded, full-time PhD position starting in 2020. The research will be conducted by the Human-Computer Interaction Group in the School of Computing and Information System. This is a multidisciplinary project, funded by the Australian Research Council, that seeks to investigate whether and how people use technology to change their emotional states. The project involves experts from Computer Science and Psychology.
Download the call for applications [PDF]
Project information
Funding source: ARC DP190102627
Project time frame: 2019–2021
Publications
Article in Pursuit: Do Devices Help Us Regulate Our Emotions?
Wadley, G., Smith, W., Koval, P., Gross, J. (2020) Digital Emotion Regulation. Current Directions in Psychological Science
Sarsenbayeva, Z., Marini, G., van Berkel, N., Luo, C., Jiang, W., Yang, K., Wadley, G., Dingler, T., Kostakos, V., Goncalves, J. (2020) Does Smartphone Use Drive our Emotions or vice versa? A Causal Analysis. CHI 2020.
Wadley, G., Krause, A., Liang, J., Wang, Z. and Leong, T. (2019) Use of music streaming platforms for emotion regulation by international students. Proceedings of OzCHI 2019.
