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You probably already know how good it can feel to share your story with a close friend or relative. How this sometimes seems to help you more than anything, without the other actually saying or doing anything in particular. But did you also know that research has shown that being listened to is more than just a pleasure? Similar to eating healthy food, human beings depend on being listened to with care, for their mental as well as physical well-being.
Just like the mind needs good food,
the body needs good listening.
All that is needed to enjoy this all the time is some trust that what we hear carries valuable truth and that what we reveal about ourselves will be recognised and respected.
However, acting as someone's listening buddy, coach or a mentor usually requires a significant amount of skill, time and commitment. And even then, one person cannot be available and ready to help all the time and for every situation.
Luckily, through the growing body of knowledge on person-centred coaching and -psychology, and the ongoing developments in machine learning and human-to-machine interaction, it has become feasible to start applying technology
in the facilitation of human-to-human interaction and personal reflection. Facilitation can enable deep understanding of what a person is going through at any given moment, regardless of their history,
while protecting against possible harmful interpretations and unconstructive responses.
Through facilitation by CARL™ - the world's first emotionally intelligent web robot - the aim of WorldWideBuddy is to momentarily turn any willing volunteer into a personal coach, ready to listen to whoever needs it, anywhere in the world.
Because this website is currently under construction, many parts are still missing. My apologies for this.
You may try out the current version of CARL, though he is still very limited. CARL has not learned about happy feelings yet, so it only makes sense to talk to him if you're feeling a bit down. Which I hope is not the case. CARL also does not interpret text yet, except for recognising the feeling and need words he knows. Thus, CARL's current use is mainly to explore some additional feelings and needs that are related to the ones you were already aware of.
I hope you will find it somewhat helpful already. Please come back later to see a more complete website. If you sign up, you will be notified of any major progress.
Jeroen
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