“Do You Need the Sage’s Tea or the Friend’s Cola” Exploring the Differential Healing Effects of Generative AI Conversational Styles

While the preliminary exploration of Generative AI in aiding psychotherapy has already commenced, there has been no research on the intrinsic selection mechanism on the user side during the process of GAI-assisted psychological healing. To address this gap, we experimented with 30 participants using the fine-tuned large language model, assessing emotional responses through heart rate variability, facial expressions, and SAM scales. Results show that participants engaging with GAI therapists exhibiting slow response times and rich content experienced higher happiness, while those interacting with faster, brief-content GAI therapists showed greater surprise. Additionally, despite the stress levels initially slightly rising during conversations with GAI therapists, they decrease over time and ultimately lead to an improved emotional state. These findings validate the effectiveness of GAI therapists and provide a basis for applying GAI in different psychotherapy scenarios.