Technology enables people to bypass this barrier. Consider a fascinating study in which over 200 participants talked with a virtual human—that is, an artificially intelligent avatar who asked questions like a therapist would during an initial clinical interview and developed rapport through compassion (such as saying, “I’m sorry to hear that,”) and nonverbal behaviors (such as nodding). Half of the participants were led to believe that the virtual human was being operated by a real person in another room, whereas half thought it was an automated computer program.
Those in the first group felt more apprehensive about sharing personal details and remained more guarded. In contrast, participants who thought they were interacting with an automated program engaged in less impression management. In other words, they were more comfortable divulging secrets and being vulnerable to technology than to another person. This finding suggests that the technology-user relationship provides protection, at least ostensibly, that the therapist-client relationship does not. Without the anxiety of possible judgment or the threat to one’s self-esteem, and with the added security of anonymity, some people may feel more at ease to speak freely about their troubles.