# Could Having Access to Real-Time Data on Your Emotions Influence Subsequent Behavior? Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial of Japanese Office Workers

## TL;DR

A study in Japan found that real-time emotion feedback from wearable devices did not help office workers improve their emotional states, suggesting the need for additional training.

## Contribution

This paper provides novel empirical evidence on the limited effectiveness of real-time emotion feedback in modifying workplace behavior.

## Key findings

- Access to real-time emotions was negatively associated with happy emotions.
- Participants showed increased angry and sad emotions despite real-time feedback.
- Feedback alone was insufficient to modify emotional states without additional training.

## Abstract

Improvements in mental health through real-time feedback on emotions have consequences for productivity and employee wellness. However, we find few extant studies on how real-time feedback on emotions can influence subsequent behavior modification in the Japanese workplace. We conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 30 employees of an insurance company in Japan and observed their emotions for 10 working days using a wearable biometric device. We compared the emotions of employees who had access to real-time emotional states (treatment group) with those of employees who did not (control group). The results of the panel regression analysis showed that access to real-time emotions was negatively associated with happy emotions and positively associated with angry and sad emotions. The results indicated that even after having access to the objective statuses of emotions, participants were unable to continue with happy emotions and reverse angry and sad emotions to other comfortable emotions. Our findings imply that feedback on real-time emotional states should be associated with appropriate training and motivation to utilize feedback for behavioral modification.