Emotional expression of AI can reduce effect of social exclusion on perceived anthropomorphism

Emotional expression of AI can reduce effect of social exclusion on perceived anthropomorphism | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Emotional expression of AI can reduce effect of social exclusion on perceived anthropomorphism HeeJun Lee, Hyeontaek OH, Dohee Kim, Yoonkyung Jeong This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8476431/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted 14 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract While both an individual's low social connectedness and an agent's emotional expression can trigger anthropomorphism, it is important to investigate their interaction. This is because, in realistic conversational artificial intelligence (CAI) usage scenarios, these factors are expected to influence perceptions of CAI not only independently but also through their interplay. This study investigated how social exclusion influences anthropomorphism in interacting with CAI, and whether the AI agent's emotional expression moderates this effect by employing a fictitious conversation with an AI agent. Participants (N = 120) were randomly assigned to either an emotional AI condition where emotional words are expressed by AI agent (n = 53) or to a control condition (n = 67), where no emotion words are expressed. Social exclusion was also measured using a social exclusion scale. Results showed that the main effect of emotional AI condition on anthropomorphism was not significant. However, social exclusion increased anthropomorphism significantly. Furthermore, the moderation effect of social exclusion and emotional AI condition on anthropomorphism was significant. Specifically, social exclusion increased anthropomorphism only in the control condition. These findings tentatively suggest that an emotionally expressive CAI may serve as a form of “social snacking,” temporarily alleviating social hunger when direct human interaction is unavailable and, in turn, reducing users’ propensity to anthropomorphize the technology. Social Exclusion Anthropomorphism Emotional Expression of AI Social Snacking Motivation of social exclusion Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 12 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 10 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 06 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 16 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 13 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 12 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 11 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 06 Feb, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 05 Feb, 2026 Editor invited by journal 05 Feb, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 02 Jan, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 02 Jan, 2026 First submitted to journal 29 Dec, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8476431","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":586853697,"identity":"dcd23887-22a0-4b81-bf09-22c68acbc19b","order_by":0,"name":"HeeJun Lee","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Catholic University of Korea","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"HeeJun","middleName":"","lastName":"Lee","suffix":""},{"id":586853698,"identity":"e8926203-30cc-4f75-a32a-6dada1bf043b","order_by":1,"name":"Hyeontaek OH","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Catholic University of Korea","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hyeontaek","middleName":"","lastName":"OH","suffix":""},{"id":586853699,"identity":"df85758c-d654-4bda-a1e8-2c89a27aa2ff","order_by":2,"name":"Dohee Kim","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Catholic University of Korea","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Dohee","middleName":"","lastName":"Kim","suffix":""},{"id":586853700,"identity":"f1d0915d-4554-4820-93c9-f1dcd53eb968","order_by":3,"name":"Yoonkyung Jeong","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABEUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACAyA+IAFisTcwMDA2MMiwQSQSiNDCc4CB4WADAw9RWiBAIgGihYGQFnP23oMHLCps8uQjHz/8/HGHDQ8f+wHGDz8Y0vJxabHsOZdwQOJMWrHh7TRjiYNn0njYeBKYJXsYciwbcDnsRo7BAcm2w4kbZ+cwSBxsO8zDBvSZNANDhQEOHQwG998AtfwDapl5hvkHVAvzb7xabvAAtTQcTpwvAVQM1cIGtCUHpxbLHqDDJI6lJW7gSTOzONsG8ktim2WPQRpOLebsZ4w/S9TYJM5vP/z4RmWbjZx8++HDN35UJOPUAgLMoKg0OADnA9MAA14NQCUfgIR8A35Fo2AUjIJRMIIBAJrwVhUN/lm6AAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Catholic University of Korea","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yoonkyung","middleName":"","lastName":"Jeong","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-12-30 01:38:31","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8476431/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8476431/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":102297701,"identity":"1ff03dcd-02cf-40e5-aecd-94cfc802b54b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-10 10:28:49","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":565158,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"maindocument.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8476431/v1_covered_55e2ef3a-b936-4268-a5cc-b3e436825354.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Emotional expression of AI can reduce effect of social exclusion on perceived anthropomorphism","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":false,"email":"","identity":"sn-social-sciences","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"SN Social Sciences","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":false,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"VoR Journals","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Social Exclusion, Anthropomorphism, Emotional Expression of AI, Social Snacking, Motivation of social exclusion","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8476431/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8476431/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eWhile both an individual's low social connectedness and an agent's emotional expression can trigger anthropomorphism, it is important to investigate their interaction. This is because, in realistic conversational artificial intelligence (CAI) usage scenarios, these factors are expected to influence perceptions of CAI not only independently but also through their interplay. This study investigated how social exclusion influences anthropomorphism in interacting with CAI, and whether the AI agent's emotional expression moderates this effect by employing a fictitious conversation with an AI agent. Participants (N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;120) were randomly assigned to either an emotional AI condition where emotional words are expressed by AI agent (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;53) or to a control condition (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;67), where no emotion words are expressed. Social exclusion was also measured using a social exclusion scale. Results showed that the main effect of emotional AI condition on anthropomorphism was not significant. However, social exclusion increased anthropomorphism significantly. Furthermore, the moderation effect of social exclusion and emotional AI condition on anthropomorphism was significant. Specifically, social exclusion increased anthropomorphism only in the control condition. These findings tentatively suggest that an emotionally expressive CAI may serve as a form of \u0026ldquo;social snacking,\u0026rdquo; temporarily alleviating social hunger when direct human interaction is unavailable and, in turn, reducing users\u0026rsquo; propensity to anthropomorphize the technology.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Emotional expression of AI can reduce effect of social exclusion on perceived anthropomorphism","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-02-09 12:45:18","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8476431/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-05-12T11:39:05+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-10T13:20:54+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-06T09:16:16+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-04-16T08:57:23+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"267374493035744569715929623205758543365","date":"2026-04-13T08:02:32+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"183546352542686403222623505336964569749","date":"2026-04-13T03:23:04+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"248104826109507554163090461774384753318","date":"2026-04-12T02:50:16+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"4424981744327512775880984583770037980","date":"2026-04-07T17:30:10+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"321192651282521932593943121386163909000","date":"2026-02-06T09:17:08+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-02-05T13:08:35+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2026-02-05T12:47:46+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-01-02T10:06:42+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-01-02T10:03:31+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"SN Social Sciences","date":"2025-12-30T01:34:12+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":false,"email":"","identity":"sn-social-sciences","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"SN Social Sciences","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":false,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"VoR Journals","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"d3f3f829-3eb9-4190-a808-a0906791f37a","owner":[],"postedDate":"February 9th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-05-12T11:39:05+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-10T13:20:54+00:00","index":72,"fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-06T09:16:16+00:00","index":70,"fulltext":""}],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"in-revision","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-05-12T12:50:54+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-02-09 12:45:18","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8476431","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8476431","identity":"rs-8476431","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}