It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Thursday, May 22, 2025
Could AI understand emotions better than we do?
A UNIGE and UniBE team shows that generative AI can outperform humans in emotional intelligence tests.
Is artificial intelligence (AI) capable of suggesting appropriate behaviour in emotionally charged situations? A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the University of Bern (UniBE) put six generative AIs — including ChatGPT — to the test using emotional intelligence (EI) assessments typically designed for humans. The outcome: these AIs outperformed average human performance and were even able to generate new tests in record time. These findings open up new possibilities for AI in education, coaching, and conflict management. The study is published in Communications Psychology.
Large Language Models (LLMs) are artificial intelligence (AI) systems capable of processing, interpreting and generating human language. The ChatGPT generative AI, for example, is based on this type of model. LLMs can answer questions and solve complex problems. But can they also suggest emotionally intelligent behaviour?
These results pave the way for AI to be used in contexts thought to be reserved for humans.
Emotionally charged scenarios
To find out, a team from UniBE, Institute of Psychology, and UNIGE’s Swiss Center for Affective Sciences (CISA) subjected six LLMs (ChatGPT-4, ChatGPT-o1, Gemini 1.5 Flash, Copilot 365, Claude 3.5 Haiku and DeepSeek V3) to emotional intelligence tests. ‘‘We chose five tests commonly used in both research and corporate settings. They involved emotionally charged scenarios designed to assess the ability to understand, regulate, and manage emotions,’’ says Katja Schlegel, lecturer and principal investigator at the Division of Personality Psychology, Differential Psychology, and Assessment at the Institute of Psychology at UniBE, and lead author of the study.
For example: One of Michael’s colleagues has stolen his idea and is being unfairly congratulated. What would be Michael’s most effective reaction?
a) Argue with the colleague involved
b) Talk to his superior about the situation
c) Silently resent his colleague
d) Steal an idea back
Here, option b) was considered the most appropriate.
In parallel, the same five tests were administered to human participants. “In the end, the LLMs achieved significantly higher scores — 82% correct answers versus 56% for humans. This suggests that these AIs not only understand emotions, but also grasp what it means to behave with emotional intelligence,” explains Marcello Mortillaro, senior scientist at the UNIGE’s Swiss Center for Affective Sciences (CISA), who was involved in the research.
New tests in record time
In a second stage, the scientists asked ChatGPT-4 to create new emotional intelligence tests, with new scenarios. These automatically generated tests were then taken by over 400 participants. ‘‘They proved to be as reliable, clear and realistic as the original tests, which had taken years to develop,’’ explains Katja Schlegel. ‘‘LLMs are therefore not only capable of finding the best answer among the various available options, but also of generating new scenarios adapted to a desired context. This reinforces the idea that LLMs, such as ChatGPT, have emotional knowledge and can reason about emotions,’’ adds Marcello Mortillaro.
These results pave the way for AI to be used in contexts thought to be reserved for humans, such as education, coaching or conflict management, provided it is used and supervised by experts.
Credit: Dr Alina Patelli from the Aston Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research and Application
Researchers to explore how AI can help urban mobility planners
They are to investigate AI-driven policy tools’ potential to create greener cities
Project to benefit from expertise of five European universities.
A European group of researchers led by Aston University is taking the first steps to explore how AI can help urban mobility planners.
As city populations grow causing strain on resources, the experts are to investigate AI-driven policy tools’ potential to create greener cities.
The team have received £10,000 in funding from the British Academy which they hope will set them on the road to further research. Taking part in the project will be experts from University College London, Ruralis University in Norway, the University of Turin, Italy and Lisbon University Institute, Portugal.
Dr Dalila Ribaudo from the Centre for Business Prosperity at Aston Business School and Dr Alina Patelli from the Aston Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research and Application will co-lead a UK-EU consortium consolidation project.
The interdisciplinary project will benefit from expertise in applied business and specialist insight into global economics, policymaking and urban transport planning.
Dr Patelli said “Policymakers and society could all benefit from our research into innovative ways of managing the strain on urban infrastructures and resources.
"The AI-powered policy tools we are developing are meant to support decision managers at all levels of urban governance with reducing emissions, optimising transportation as well as predicting and preventing environmental hazards. Such changes would improve the quality of life for the millions of people living in towns and cities across the UK, Europe and, in the long term, the entire world.”
Following the successful bid for the British Academy pump priming grant the team will apply for Horizon Europe funding to continue developing impactful AI-driven policy tools for greener cities.
SPAGYRIC HERBALISM
25-year review highlights stomach cancer-fighting potential of Brazilian plants
“Although Brazilian plant species show promising potential as therapeutic agents in SC, the available studies are still scarce”
Figure 3: Effects of compounds isolated from Physalis on HGC-27 and SGC-7901 stomach cancer cell lines.
According to Fang et al. (2022), Physalin B suppressed the expression of cell cycle regulatory proteins, including cyclin D1, cyclin D3, CDK4, CDK6 and cyclin E, as well as increasing the protein levels of caspase-8, caspase-3, caspase-7 and PARP, promoting apoptosis. According to Dai et al. (2020), Physapubescin B inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in gastric cancer cells by suppressing the phosphorylation of STAT3 and the expression of downstream targets such as STAT3, STAT3 Tyr705, p-STAT3, XIAP, c-Myc, cyclin D1 and IL-11. Meanings: ↑: increased, and ↓: decreased. Abbreviations: CDK4: Cyclin-dependent kinase 4; CDK6: Cyclin-dependent kinase 6; c-Myc: Cellular Myc; IL11: interleukin-11; PARP: poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase); p-STAT3: Phospho-Stat3; STAT3: signal transducer and activator of transcription; XIAP: X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein. Own authorship using open-access illustrations under CC BY 4.0 license from smart.servier.com and canva pro.
The study led by first author Iara Lopes Lemos and corresponding author Mario Roberto Marostica Junior from the University of Campinas reviewed scientific studies published over the past 25 years that examine how native Brazilian plants may help prevent stomach cancer (SC). Their findings suggest that several plant species contain bioactive compounds with potential anticancer properties. By compiling and analyzing this research, the authors aim to highlight the underexplored value of Brazil’s biodiversity in the search for new cancer prevention strategies.
Stomach cancer remains one of the deadliest cancers globally and is often diagnosed at advanced stages. The review notes that many factors contribute to the disease, including poor diet, infections, and genetics. However, evidence shows that regular consumption of fruits and vegetables rich in natural compounds like polyphenols and flavonoids may help lower the risk. The reviewed literature suggests that native Brazilian plants may offer similar protective effects.
“[…] a regular consumption of fruit and vegetables rich in bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols and flavonoids, has demonstrated anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and chemopreventive effects on SC.”
The study covers ten native species, including açaÃ, cacao, guava, pitanga, jambu, and physalis. Extracts from these plants showed signs of reducing cancer cell growth, triggering cell death, and slowing disease progression. Although the exact biological mechanisms remain unclear for many cases, some studies reported reduced inflammation and disruption of cancer-related signaling. These findings point to the possibility that natural plant-based substances could support efforts to prevent or manage SC.
Most of the studies included in the review were conducted on laboratory cell models, with very few using animal models and none involving clinical trials. This limited coverage means that while the early results are promising, more research is needed to understand how these plant compounds work in the human body and to evaluate their safety and effectiveness in real-world settings.
This review emphasizes the value of exploring Brazil’s rich plant biodiversity for medical purposes. Many of these species remain scientifically underexplored, especially in the context of cancer prevention. By drawing attention to their potential, the authors hope to encourage more research that could lead to the development of new, natural therapies. Their work contributes to the growing recognition that traditional and natural sources can play a meaningful role in modern medicine.
Click here to sign up for free Altmetric alerts about this article.
AboutOncoscience:
Oncoscience is a peer-reviewed, open-access, traditional journal covering the rapidly growing field of cancer research, especially emergent topics not currently covered by other journals. This journal has a special mission: Freeing oncology from publication cost. It is free for the readers and the authors.
Oncoscience is indexed and archived by PubMed, PubMed Central, Scopus, META (Chan Zuckerberg Initiative) (2018-2022), and Dimensions (Digital Science).
To learn more about Oncoscience, visit Oncoscience.us and connect with us on social media:
A team of researchers at Penn State found that increasing spiciness slightly using dried chili pepper slowed down eating and reduced the amount of food and energy consumed at a meal, all without negatively affecting the palatability of the dish. The study was led by Paige Cunningham, pictured, a postdoctoral researcher who earned her doctorate in nutritional sciences from Penn State in 2023.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Throwing a little heat on your meal might be an effective strategy for cutting back on calories, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State.
Scientists at the University’s Sensory Evaluation Center examined how increasing "oral burn"— the spicy taste from ingredients like chili pepper — affects how much food people consume during a meal. The findings, available online now and slated to publish in the October issue of the journalFood Quality and Preference, suggest that making the meal slightly spicier led participants to eat less, consuming fewer calories.
“We know from previous studies that when people slow down, they eat significantly less,” said Paige Cunningham, a postdoctoral researcher and lead author on the study who earned her doctorate in nutritional sciences from Penn State in 2023. “We suspected that making a meal spicier might slow people down. We thought, let's test, under controlled experimental conditions in the lab, if adding a small amount of spice, but not so much that the meal is inedible, will make people eat slower and therefore eat less.”
The researchers found that increasing spiciness slightly using dried chili pepper slowed down eating and reduced the amount of food and energy consumed at a meal, all without negatively affecting the palatability of the dish.
“This points to added chilies as a potential strategy for reducing the risk of energy overconsumption,” said John Hayes, Penn State professor of food science and corresponding author on the paper. “While portion control wasn’t the explicit goal of this study, our results suggest this might work. Next time you're looking to eat a little less, try adding a blast of chilies, as it may slow you down and help you eat less.”
The team conducted three related experiments in a total of 130 adults who were served one of two lunch meals — beef chili or chicken tikka masala — in one of two versions: mild or spicy. The spiciness level was controlled by carefully varying the ratio of hot versus sweet paprika added to the dishes to vary the heat while keeping chili flavor constant.
The researchers then recorded participants on high-definition video while they ate their meals to monitor their eating behaviors. From the videos, Hayes’ team measured the amount of food and water consumed, meal duration, eating speed of grams per minute, bite rate, bite size, and collected ratings on appetite, liking and spiciness before and after the meal.
“Formulating the recipes took a long time for the chicken tikka,” Cunningham said. “It took so many rounds of testing that my lab mates were sick of it. But science is about trial and error. I'd make a recipe, see how far I could push the spiciness, and we'd taste it. We did that until we reached a level where palatability was matched even when spiciness increased.”
The study suggests the reduction in intake is driven by changes in oral processing behaviors, she explained. Specifically, participants ate the spicier meals more slowly. She explained that a slower eating rate often means food is in the mouth longer, which can help signal fullness and lead to eating less. Other studies that slow eating rate by manipulating texture have shown similar effects, she said.
“What’s critical here is that the reduction in intake occurred without negatively impacting how much participants liked the food,” Hayes said.
He added that water intake didn't differ significantly between spicy and mild meals, suggesting that one seemingly obvious explanation, that people drank more water and filled up faster, was not the primary reason people ate less.
“This is why we need to do empirical studies of behavior, because what you might intuitively expect is often not the case,” he said.
Hayes also noted that appetite ratings made before and after the meals were similar, suggesting participants still felt full after the spicy meal, despite eating less of it. Looking ahead, the team is now focused on understanding how oral burn can impact other eating behaviors, like snacking.
Isaiah Smith, a Penn State undergraduate from West Chester, also contributed to this work as part of an Undergraduate Research Internship Program from the NASA Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium. This work was supported by a gift from the McCormick Science Institute and federal appropriations under the Hatch Act from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Study participants tasted meals in which the spiciness level was controlled by carefully varying the ratio of hot versus sweet paprika added to the dishes to vary the heat while keeping chili flavor constant.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – If you’ve ever regretted ordering a spicy meal, take note: A new study identifying molecules that suppress the heat of chili peppers hints at the possibility of adapting these compounds into an “anti-spice” condiment for food that’s too fiery to eat.
The research helps explain differences in chili pepper pungency, or spiciness, by identifying three compounds in a range of pepper samples that chemical analysis predicted, and study participants on a tasting panel confirmed, are linked to lower heat intensity.
The findings have multiple potential applications: customized chili pepper breeding, a pain-relief alternative to capsaicin and, in homes with a range of culinary spice sensitivities, a new condiment to put in the pantry.
“If you’re at home and you’ve ordered cuisine that has spice to it that’s a little too hot for some tastes, you can just sprinkle on a form of chili pepper that has got these suppressant agents in them that will dial it down,” said senior study author Devin Peterson, professor of food science and technology at The Ohio State University.
“I think the idea of using a natural material as an anti-spice, especially for somebody with kids, would have value as a household ingredient.”
Chili pepper heat intensity has long been attributed to two members of a class of compounds called capsaicinoids: capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin. Scoville Heat Units, a scale used for over a century to determine the pungency of chili peppers, are calculated based on each pepper’s concentration of these two compounds.
For this study, Peterson and colleagues obtained 10 cultivars of chili peppers, determined their Scoville units based on their capsaicinoid content, and normalized the group so all samples, prepared in dried powder form, had the same number of Scoville units. The researchers then added the standardized powders to tomato juice and asked a trained tasting panel to gauge their pungency.
“They’re all in the same base and all normalized, so they should have had a similar heat perception, but they didn’t,” said Peterson, also faculty director of Ohio State’s Foods for Health Research Initiative. “That is a pretty clear indication that other things were at play and impacting the perception.”
With this sensory perception data in hand, the researchers created statistical models and consulted molecular structures in existing libraries of chemicals to arrive at five candidate compounds predicted to be lowering the peppers’ perceived spiciness.
A second trained panel of tasters then compared the pungency of a range of capsaicinoid samples mixed with varying levels of these candidate compounds during tests in which different samples were placed on each side of the tongue simultaneously.
The second round of sensory results combined with high-resolution mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance experiments led the team to narrow down the heat suppression effects to three compounds: capsianoside I, roseoside and gingerglycolipid A. These results describe an overall mechanism that affects chili pepper heat levels, but are not exclusive to any specific chili pepper varieties.
Peterson’s lab studies the complex relationships between oral cavity receptors and food compounds that influence human perception of flavor. The broad goal: applying findings to improving the taste of healthful foods without adding sugar, salt and fats.
“What is maybe underappreciated from a science perspective is how important food flavor is to your dietary patterns and your enjoyment in life,” he said. “So part of what we focus on is, how do we make healthy eating less difficult?”
When it comes to capsaicinoids, however, there is also a pain management implication from this study’s results.
The TRPV1 receptors in the oral cavity that perceive chili pepper spiciness are triggered by molecules – including capsaicin – that cause sensations of pain and heat. These same receptors are present throughout the body, meaning that capsaicin in supplement and topical form eases pain by initially exposing receptors to the irritation signal and eventually desensitizing them to that stimulus so the pain goes away.
The newly identified heat-suppressing compounds may have the same desensitization effect – without the initial burn, Peterson said.
