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Computers Know When You're Angry, Study

By R. Siva Kumar | Update Date: Dec 15, 2015 09:28 AM EST

You may be angry at your computer, but beware, your mouse knows all about it!

A study  at Brigham Young University found that your computer mouse can understand your feelings, as you would communicate through your movements.

Those who are excessively angry and undergo different types of negative emotions are not so precise with their mouse movements and manipulate their cursors at various speeds. The BYU researchers can detect through your cursor movements what the state of your emotions is, according to scienceworldreport.

"Using this technology, websites will no longer be dumb. Websites can go beyond just presenting information, but they can sense you," Professor Jeffrey Jenkins, coauthor of the study, said. "They can understand not just what you're providing, but what you're feeling."

If you become upset or frustrated, you do not use your mouse in a "straight or curved pattern" but have movements that become "jagged and sudden". Another person with negative emotions uses his mouse more slowly.

"It's counter-intuitive, people might think, 'When I'm frustrated, I start moving the mouse faster. Well, no, you actually start moving slower," Jenkins said.

This cursor-tracking concept is applicable even to mobile devices, in which taps and swipes can replace mouse movements. Though the applications are still in their early stages, he feels that phones and tablets contain a lot of information.

"Traditionally it has been very difficult to pinpoint when a user becomes frustrated, leading them to not come back to a site," Jenkins said. "Being able to sense a negative emotional response, we can adjust the website experience to eliminate stress or to offer help."

The study was published in MIS Quarterly.

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