Studies Link ChatGPT Use to Increased Loneliness and Emotional Dependency

OpenAI and MIT Media Lab research reveals emotional effects of chatbot interactions, with findings highlighting dependency risks and engagement patterns.

OpenAI and MIT Media Lab analyzed over 40 million ChatGPT interactions and conducted a four-week study with nearly 1,000 participants to assess emotional impacts.
Higher ChatGPT usage was associated with increased loneliness and emotional dependency, particularly among users who emotionally bonded with the chatbot.
Users interacting with ChatGPT in a voice mode with a gender different from their own reported heightened loneliness and dependency levels.
Emotional engagement with ChatGPT was concentrated among a small subset of heavy users, with general topic discussions increasing emotional dependency more than personal ones.
The studies relied on self-reported data and lacked control groups, limiting their reliability, but aim to inform future research on AI's long-term psychological effects.

MIT Technology Review

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