Catching Fear

Fuzzy, fast-breathing robots can make humans more afraid

- -Simon Makin

WE’VE ALL INSTINCTIVELY CLUNG to another person when frightened, if only as a child clutching our mother’s hand.

But if that person is scared, too, this behavior may not have the desired calming effect. And a new study, published in the journal Emotion, suggests that a robot that mimics human breathing can also pass on frightened feelings. The researchers developed round fluffy robots with motorized ribcages that can simulate breathing by expanding and contracting. More than 100 participants held these robots, which breathed in a stable pattern, in an accelerated “fearful” manner, or not at all, while the participants watched a scary clip from The Shining.