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Researchers use voice manipulation to influence emotional states, paving the way for new psychological treatments
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Researchers use voice manipulation to influence emotional states, paving the way for new psychological treatments

Thu, Jan 14, 2016
Researchers use voice manipulation to influence emotional states, paving the way for new psychological treatments
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A research group with Professor Katsumi Watanabe (Faculty of Science and Engineering) has developed a digital platform called “Da Amazing Voice Inflection Device: DAVID” that is capable of altering participants’ emotional states through voice manipulation. Using the digital platform, researchers applied emotional filters such as “joy,” “sadness,” and “fear” to participants’ voices and had them speak while listening to their manipulated voice. Researchers noticed that the emotional states of participants changed in accordance to the digital platform’s filter, even though they remained unaware of the voice manipulation.

The relationship between an individual’s emotional state and emotional awareness has long been unclear, even in the field of psychology. Up until now, practitioners have focused on strengthening emotional states and altering them by having individuals recall emotional experiences. Therefore, the possibility of externally altering emotional states has largely remained unexplored. This research group’s findings are of great significance because it provides insight into the mechanisms of vocal emotion.

Researchers expect collaborations between scientists in a wide range of fields such as experimental psychology, cognitive psychology, and neurology will make it possible to apply emotional filters to individuals’ voices online using the DAVID digital platform. This research’s findings may pave the way for improved treatments of conditions such as emotional disorders, trauma, and PTSD. It might also be possible to use these findings to alter the mood of conferences and online games, as well as apply concert and karaoke filters to spur one’s performing spirit.

This research and its findings were posted on the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America website:

Jean-Julien Aucouturier, Petter Johansson, Lars Hall, Rodrigo Segnini, Lolita Mercadié, and Katsumi Watanabe (2016). Covert digital manipulation of vocal emotion alter speakers’ emotional states in a congruent direction

*This research is a collaboration between Waseda University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique, University of Burgundy (France), Lund University, The University of Tokyo, and the Japan Science and Technology Agency

 


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