Self-initiated humour protocol: a pilot study with an AI agent
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Introduction: Non-hostile humour and laughter have been known for therapeutic benefits in an individual’s mental health and wellbeing. To this end, we evaluated the Self-Initiated Humour Protocol (SIHP), a new type of self-administrable laughter intervention that utilises spontaneous and self-induced laughter. Rooted in the core principles of the Self-Attachment Technique—in which an individual creates an affectional bond with their childhood self as represented by their childhood photo or personalised childhood avatar—SIHP provides an algorithmic framework for individuals to learn to laugh in a non-hostile manner and develop a sense of humour in all possible life contexts. This allows SIHP to be self-administered by interacting with an AI agent.
Methods: An 8-week intervention was conducted with N = 27 adult participants. Exclusion criteria: severe depression or anxiety (PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores above 15). Participants’ measurements were collected in the areas of wellbeing, use of different humour styles, emotional self-regulation, self-compassion and psychological capital, and analysed to understand any changes over time. Measurements were taken immediately before, after the intervention, and at the 3-month follow-up. Throughout the intervention, participants were required to practise SIHP 20 min a day with the aid of an emotionally intelligent chatbot and their personalised child avatar in virtual reality (VR).
Results: Analysis of results at the 3-month follow-up showed significant improvements in the primary outcome of wellbeing with large effect size (
r
=
0.92
), as well as a range of secondary outcomes with large effect sizes, self-compassion (
r
=
0.93
), use of self-enhancing humour (
d
=
0.80
), and emotion regulation (
d
=
0.87
); the results also showed improvement to participant’s psychological capital with moderate effect size (
d
=
0.56
).
Discussion: This study shows the potential for the practice of SIHP as supported by an emotionally intelligent chatbot and personalised child avatar to have medium-term positive effects, which should be validated through future randomised trials.
Methods: An 8-week intervention was conducted with N = 27 adult participants. Exclusion criteria: severe depression or anxiety (PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores above 15). Participants’ measurements were collected in the areas of wellbeing, use of different humour styles, emotional self-regulation, self-compassion and psychological capital, and analysed to understand any changes over time. Measurements were taken immediately before, after the intervention, and at the 3-month follow-up. Throughout the intervention, participants were required to practise SIHP 20 min a day with the aid of an emotionally intelligent chatbot and their personalised child avatar in virtual reality (VR).
Results: Analysis of results at the 3-month follow-up showed significant improvements in the primary outcome of wellbeing with large effect size (
r
=
0.92
), as well as a range of secondary outcomes with large effect sizes, self-compassion (
r
=
0.93
), use of self-enhancing humour (
d
=
0.80
), and emotion regulation (
d
=
0.87
); the results also showed improvement to participant’s psychological capital with moderate effect size (
d
=
0.56
).
Discussion: This study shows the potential for the practice of SIHP as supported by an emotionally intelligent chatbot and personalised child avatar to have medium-term positive effects, which should be validated through future randomised trials.
Date Issued
2025-03-13
Date Acceptance
2025-02-21
Citation
Frontiers in Digital Health, 2025, 7
ISSN
2673-253X
Publisher
Frontiers Media S.A.
Journal / Book Title
Frontiers in Digital Health
Volume
7
Copyright Statement
© 2025 Edalat, Hu, Patel, Polydorou, Ryan and Nicholls. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
License URL
Identifier
10.3389/fdgth.2025.1530131
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
1530131
Date Publish Online
2025-03-13