WELCOME
At Affective Science for Social Good, we conduct integrated basic and applied research on socioaffective processes, examining how emotions in social contexts shape human development, prosociality, and well-being. Our research group brings together researchers and students to advance theory while investigating emotional mechanisms and socio-emotional competencies across key thematic areas, including social media communication, entertainment, and human–technology interaction (e.g., conversational agents and social robots) in social, educational, and health contexts. Organised around core conceptual domains and interconnected research lines, our agenda bridges theory, mechanisms, and real-world applications to promote broader societal impact.
RESEARCH AGENDA
CORE CONCEPTS AND RESEARCH THEMES
INTERCONNECTED RESEARCH LINES
Our research agenda focuses on the study of socioaffective processes, with the overarching aim of promoting socioemotional competencies, well-being, and prosociality.
The Research Agenda is organised into five interrelated thematic lines:
Research Line 1 advances the theoretical and conceptual understanding of emotions, while Research Line 2 examines socioemotional competences and emotion regulation as core mechanisms of human development. We often employ a multi-method approach, including assessing subjective, behavioral, and physiological responses in human social interactions.
Building on these foundations, Research Lines 3, 4, and 5 extend this work into applied and translational domains: Line 3 investigates the impact of media and entertainment content on emotional and social processes; Line 4 examines human interactions with emerging technologies (e.g., Social Robots, Artificial Intelligence Systems) and their implications for affective and social functioning. The aim is to explore how different sysems and tools can be tailored to meet the needs of specific groups, encompassing different ages and socio-economic backgrounds. In parallel, Research Line 5 develops applied research in educational and health contexts, grounded in the knowledge generated across the previous lines.
A transversal Research Line integrates advances methodological practices and critical reflections on ethics aimed at strengthening transparency, reproducibility, and social impact.
Our projects typically involve multidisciplinary teams.
Together, these lines articulate a research agenda that integrates fundamental and applied science to contribute to individual and collective well-being.
These lines of research are aligned with the United Nations Agenda 2030, aiming to making a significant contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to the following main goals:
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