Decision environments (such as websites) can influence emotions and, in turn, user decisions. Therefore, online vendors are interested in detecting emotions, in particular negative emotions, so as to prevent users from stopping the shopping process.
Together with colleagues from Germany, Hong Kong, and the US, Dr. Markus Weinmann, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Information Systems, has explored the relationship between emotion and mouse movements. Their research article „Inferring Negative Emotion From Mouse Cursor Movements“ was recently accepted for publication in MIS Quarterly, one of the most prestigious journals in the Information Systems field. In an experimental setting, the authors show that negative emotions do influence mouse cursor movements; in particular, negative emotions lower mouse cursor speed and increase mouse cursor distance. Online vendors can use these findings to track users’ emotions in real-time.
