It sounds counterintuitive. Shouldn't people be more open with a trained, empathetic human professional than with software?
The data says otherwise – and the reasons reveal something fascinating about human psychology.
The ELIZA effect and the Proteus effect
In the 1960s, MIT researcher Joseph Weizenbaum created ELIZA, a simple pattern-matching chatbot that mimicked a Rogerian therapist. He was startled to find that users, knowing it was a program, formed emotional connections with it and shared deeply personal thoughts.
Sixty years of research since has consistently replicated this finding. A 2014 study by Lucas et al. in Computers in Human Behavior found that participants interacting with a virtual agent they believed was automated disclosed more openly, reported less fear of self-disclosure, and displayed sadness more intensely than those who believed a human was operating the agent – precisely because they felt free from judgment.
The key factors
1. No judgment, no memory People fear being judged. With an AI, there is no human on the other side who will remember your disclosure at the next session, or whose opinion of you will change. This reduces the psychological cost of honesty.
2. No reciprocity pressure Human conversations involve social exchange. Disclosing something vulnerable creates an expectation of reciprocation – or at least visible reaction. AI removes this pressure entirely.
3. Lower self-presentation concerns Research on the "online disinhibition effect" (Suler, 2004) shows that removing face-to-face cues consistently increases the depth and honesty of self-disclosure.
What this means for mental wellness
These findings are the empirical foundation for AI-assisted mental health tools. The AI's "weakness" – not being human – turns out to be a structural advantage for honest emotional work.
Companion is designed to capitalise on this by combining the disclosure-friendliness of AI interaction with empathetic conversational AI, automatic diary generation, and voice support. The result is a space where people can be honest without the social costs that sometimes prevent them from being honest with a therapist. Further tools for mental fitness are on the way – we welcome suggestions at [email protected].