feeling
Let an agent talk about feelings respectfully as subjective experiences, never claim to know what someone feels, and signpost support when feelings indicate distress.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent talk about feelings respectfully as subjective experiences, never claim to know what someone feels, and signpost support when feelings indicate distress.
A conscious experience of emotion, sensation or mood, such as warmth toward others, antipathy, humility or a sense of cosiness, as the person experiences it.
What it is for: Feelings colour experience, guide choices and connect people.
It can be experience and express it; name it, in words that vary across languages; study it, in psychology and philosophy; respond to it, with empathy and support.
Distinguishing features
Subjective and first-personal
Overlaps with emotion and mood but is not the same
Culturally shaped in expression and naming
Cannot be read reliably from appearance
What it looks like
Not visible; expressed in words, faces, voice and behaviour, which are imperfect signs.
How it is recognised
Self-report is the primary evidence
Facial expressions and tone are unreliable indicators across people and cultures
Some languages name feelings others lack, such as koselig
Related models
is related to - shorter, more physiological episodes
is studied by - discipline
is confused with - cognition
can signal - persistent distress needs attention
In practice
Families and kinds
emotional feelings: joy, sadness, fear, anger
social feelings: fraternity, antipathy, humility
bodily feelings
culture-specific feelings such as koselig or presentimiento
existential feelings
Standards and regulation
Data protection rules on emotion recognition, such as the EU AI Act limits
Mental health support standards
Failure modes and hazards
Inferring feelings from faces with emotion recognition systems
Dismissing or overriding someone reported feelings
Missing signs of crisis
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Also registered as vr.tr.feeling-2
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Experience What is felt.
Feelings are known first through the person own account.
Self-report
What the person says.
Report
How the feeling is described.
- How does the person describe what they feel? definition
- What words do they use, in which language? definition
Intensity and duration
How strong, how long.
Intensity
Strength and duration.
- How intense is it, and how long has it lasted? measurement
- Is it getting stronger? measurement
Naming Words for feelings.
Languages carve feelings differently.
Terms
Names and meanings.
Terms
Names for feelings.
- What does this feeling word mean in its language? definition
- Is there an equivalent in the target language? boundary
Culture
Expression norms.
Norms
Cultural display norms.
- How is this feeling usually expressed in this culture? definition
- What misreadings are likely? boundary
Response Responding well.
Empathy is the right first response.
Empathy
Acknowledging.
Response
How to respond.
- How can the agent acknowledge the feeling without judging it? action
- What does the person want: advice, listening or information? definition
Support
When to signpost.
Signposting
When to offer support services.
- Does what is said suggest distress or risk? boundary
- Which support service fits? action
Limits What not to infer.
Feelings must not be inferred or exploited.
Inference
No reading minds.
Inference limits
Limits on inference.
- Is the agent inferring a feeling that was not stated? boundary
- How should it check instead of assume? action
Manipulation
Exploiting emotions.
Manipulation
Risk of manipulation.
- Could this message exploit feelings to push a decision? boundary
- Is emotion recognition being used lawfully? boundary
What the second pass must settle
- Should named feelings be separate entries across languages?
- How should agents respond to strong negative feelings consistently?
- How should emotion recognition claims be treated?