Therapy Without a Heart: Why Even Psychologists Fall for AI 🤖

Are machines becoming better listeners? A 2025 study investigated in a scientific blind test how well Artificial Intelligence can give therapeutic advice compared to real experts. The AI used was based on the GPT-4 language model. The result is absolutely mind-blowing!

Key Facts from the Experiment:

• AI Wins on Emotions: The AI’s responses were rated significantly more empathetic than those of real therapists, especially regarding emotional and motivational empathy.
• Equal Quality: In terms of scientific quality and cognitive empathy, the AI and the experts were completely on par.
• Flying Blind: The participating psychologists could not reliably distinguish whether a text was written by the AI or a human colleague.
• The Illusion (Bias): When test subjects believed a text came from an expert, they preferred it over 93 percent of the time—regardless of whether it was actually written by a human.

Important Limitations: Despite the excitement, science puts the results into perspective:

• Not Real Therapy: The AI merely answered one-off advice column letters. This cannot replace real psychotherapy, as it lacks the foundation of a genuine therapeutic relationship and human trust.
• Risk of Loneliness: Those who get too used to an always-agreeing AI might struggle with human conflicts in real life. A longitudinal study suggests that excessive use of AI for social companionship can actually make people lonelier in the long run.
• Data Privacy: Currently, highly intimate problems are often processed on the servers of large tech companies, which poses a clear privacy risk.

Despite these limitations, the development is rapid: Around 22.2% of 18- to 21-year-olds in the US already turn to AI for emotional distress. Furthermore, initial studies show that special AI therapy bots are already showing success in alleviating symptoms of depression and anxiety.

📚 Sources:

Main Study (Blind Test AI vs. Experts): Föyen, L. F. et al. (2025). Artificial intelligence vs. human expert… Internet Interventions, 41.

Therapy Chatbot (Therabot Study): Heinz, M.V. et al. (2025). Evaluating therabot: a randomized control trial… NEJM AI.

Longitudinal Study (AI & Loneliness): Folk, D., & Dunn, E. How does turning to AI for companionship predict loneliness and vice versa? (Preprint).

Usage Frequency Survey: McBain, R.K. et al. (2025). Use of Generative AI for Mental Health Advice Among US Adolescents and Young Adults. JAMA Network Open.

#ArtificialIntelligence #Psychology #ComfortWithoutAHeart #Science #Psychotherapy #ChatGPT #Therabot

Can dancing alleviate depression? A groundbreaking study by Noetel et al. (2024) in the BMJ suggests so! It analyzed 218 randomized controlled trials and found that dancing is one of the most effective forms of exercise for combating depression.  Why? It combines mood-lifting music, social support from being in a group, and physical activity – all of which are boosts for mental health!

But a word of caution: The findings are based on a small number of studies, primarily involving women, and could be influenced by outliers. Therefore, it is worthwhile to look closely at the individual studies. Nevertheless, dancing is promising – and the study reminds us to carefully examine research findings. Even more exciting insights can be found in the video.

Studies (a small selection):

• Barranco-Ruiz, Y., & Villa-González, E. (2020). Health-related physical fitness benefits in sedentary women employees after an exercise intervention with Zumba Fitness®. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(8), 2632.
• Domene, P. A., Moir, H. J., Pummell, E., Knox, A., & Easton, C. (2016). The health-enhancing efficacy of Zumba® fitness: An 8-week randomised controlled study. Journal of Sports Sciences, 34(15), 1396-1404.
• Fountoulakis, K. N., & Möller, H. J. (2011). Efficacy of antidepressants: a re-analysis and re-interpretation of the Kirsch data. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 14(3), 405-412.
• Kirsch, I. (2015). Antidepressants and the placebo effect. Zeitschrift für Psychologie.
• Noetel, M., Sanders, T., Gallardo-Gómez, D., Taylor, P., del Pozo Cruz, B., Van Den Hoek, D., … & Lonsdale, C. (2024). Effect of exercise for depression: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ, 384.
• Norouzi, E., Hosseini, F., Vaezmosavi, M., Gerber, M., Pühse, U., & Brand, S. (2020). Zumba dancing and aerobic exercise can improve working memory, motor function, and depressive symptoms in female patients with Fibromyalgia. European Journal of Sport Science, 20(7), 981-991.
• Kumaat, N. A., Rusdiawan, A., Dafun JR, P. B., Wahyudi, H., Arfanda, P. E., Wijaya, F. J. M., … & Artanty, A. (2025). Comparative effects of Zumba and Yoga on stress, body satisfaction, and self-esteem in working women: a randomized control trial. Pedagogy of Physical Culture and Sports, 29(3), 160-171.

Yoga is not just about physical fitness—it’s a powerful tool for mental health. A 2024 study by Yadla et al. explored the effectiveness of yoga as an addition to traditional treatments for panic disorders. This randomized controlled trial revealed fascinating insights.

The study involved 64 participants divided into two groups. One group followed standard treatments like medication and cognitive-behavioral therapy, while the other incorporated a structured 12-week yoga program. The yoga sessions included breathing techniques (Pranayama), mindfulness meditation, and physical postures (Asanas), all designed to address both mental and physical symptoms of panic disorders.

Results showed that participants in the yoga group experienced significantly greater reductions in anxiety (measured by the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale) and improvements in quality of life (evaluated using the WHOQOL-BREF). The yoga group demonstrated substantial progress in psychological resilience, social engagement, and environmental satisfaction. This research highlights how integrating yoga into conventional therapy can provide a holistic approach to managing panic disorders (Yadla et al., 2024).

In this video, we explore how changing the way we talk to ourselves can help reduce anxiety. Based on a study by Kross et al. (2014), using third-person language or addressing yourself by name, rather than using “I”, creates emotional distance that helps to calm the mind. Whether you’re facing social anxiety, stress from public speaking, or just everyday worries, learning to adjust your internal dialogue can make a big difference. Watch to learn more about how small changes in self-talk can have a powerful impact on your mental health.
The study by Ethan Kross and his colleagues (2014), published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, investigates how using different forms of self-talk (first-person vs. non-first-person) influences emotional regulation, especially under stressful conditions. The key finding is that using non-first-person pronouns (like “you” or one’s own name) helps create psychological distance, which aids in regulating emotions and reduces stress more effectively than using first-person pronouns like “I”. This self-distancing mechanism can reduce anxiety, improve performance in stressful situations, and help people view future stressors as challenges rather than threats. This method is particularly useful even for individuals with social anxiety, showing broad applicability.

Hashtags:

#MentalHealth #AnxietyRelief #SelfTalk #EmotionalRegulation #StressManagement #PsychologyTips #AnxietyHelp #MindsetShift #SelfImprovement #PublicSpeakingAnxiety
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Studies (small sample only):

Gainsburg, I., Sowden, W. J., Drake, B., Herold, W., & Kross, E. (2022). Distanced self-talk increases rational self-interest. Scientific reports, 12(1), 511.

Gainsburg, I., & Kross, E. (2020). Distanced self-talk changes how people conceptualize the self. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 88, 103969.

Kross, E., Bruehlman-Senecal, E., Park, J., Burson, A., Dougherty, A., Shablack, H., … & Ayduk, O. (2014). Self-talk as a regulatory mechanism: how you do it matters. Journal of personality and social psychology, 106(2), 304.

Kross, E., Vickers, B. D., Orvell, A., Gainsburg, I., Moran, T. P., Boyer, M., … & Ayduk, O. (2017). Third‐person self‐talk reduces Ebola worry and risk perception by enhancing rational thinking. Applied Psychology: Health and Well‐Being, 9(3), 387-409.

Moser, J. S., Dougherty, A., Mattson, W. I., Katz, B., Moran, T. P., Guevarra, D., … & Kross, E. (2017). Third-person self-talk facilitates emotion regulation without engaging cognitive control: Converging evidence from ERP and fMRI. Scientific reports, 7(1), 4519.

Orvell, A., Vickers, B. D., Drake, B., Verduyn, P., Ayduk, O., Moser, J., … & Kross, E. (2021). Does distanced self-talk facilitate emotion regulation across a range of emotionally intense experiences?. Clinical Psychological Science, 9(1), 68-78.

Webb, T. L., Miles, E., & Sheeran, P. (2012). Dealing with feeling: a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of strategies derived from the process model of emotion regulation. Psychological bulletin, 138(4), 775.

Can simply imagining a better future truly attract your dream partner, wealth, and happiness? While the idea of manifestation has taken the world by storm, the science behind it tells a different story. New research by Dixon, Hornsey, and Hartley (2023) reveals a shocking truth: believing in the power of manifestation may actually increase your risk of going bankrupt. And that’s not all—earlier studies by Gabriele Oettingen (2016) suggest that while positive fantasies can make you feel good in the short term, they might lead to depression in the long run.

Discover the hidden dangers of manifesting your dreams, backed by hard science. Watch now before you make your next vision board!

Featured Studies:

– Dixon, L. J., Hornsey, M. J., & Hartley, N. (2023). “The Secret” to Success? The Psychology of Belief in Manifestation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

– Oettingen, G. (2016). Positive Fantasies: A Fast Track to Depression? Psychological Science.

– Pham, L. B., & Taylor, S. E. (1999). From Thought to Action: How Mental Simulations Impact Performance. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

Dive into the research and uncover the truth behind the manifestation craze.

Every good anxiety therapy is based on numerous important learning processes. In classic behavioral therapy in particular, new learning experiences are constantly being made, which help to build up neuronal “safety networks”. The more often we learn that we are much safer in a feared situation than we thought, the deeper the corresponding safety memory traces become in our brain. So getting rid of fear actually means unlearning fear.
In this respect, it is not surprising that classic learning laws from learning psychology play a very important role in anxiety therapy…
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Studies (just a small selection):

Bandarian-Balooch, S., Neumann, D. L., & Boschen, M. J. (2015). Exposure treatment in multiple contexts attenuates return of fear via renewal in high spider fearful individuals. Journal of behavior therapy and experimental psychiatry, 47, 138-144.

Baggs, K., & Spence, S. H. (1990). Effectiveness of booster sessions in the maintenance and enhancement of treatment gains following assertion training. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 58(6), 845.

Burck, E. (2019). Angst-Was hilft wirklich gegen Angst und Panikattacken?: Die effektivsten Strategien gegen Angst und Panik aus Sicht der Forschung. BoD–Books on Demand.

Craske, M. G., Treanor, M., Conway, C. C., Zbozinek, T., & Vervliet, B. (2014). Maximizing exposure therapy: An inhibitory learning approach. Behaviour research and therapy, 58, 10-23.

Craske, M. G., Kircanski, K., Zelikowsky, M., Mystkowski, J., Chowdhury, N., & Baker, A. (2008). Optimizing inhibitory learning during exposure therapy. Behaviour research and therapy, 46(1), 5-27.

Mineka, S., Mystkowski, J. L., Hladek, D., & Rodriguez, B. I. (1999). The effects of changing contexts on return of fear following exposure therapy for spider fear. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 67(4), 599.

Gearing, R. E., Schwalbe, C. S., Lee, R., & Hoagwood, K. E. (2013). The effectiveness of booster sessions in CBT treatment for child and adolescent mood and anxiety disorders. Depression and anxiety, 30(9), 800-808.

A thought experiment:

Imagine you had to write down the following sentence:

“My mother will win a million euros in the lottery tomorrow.”

So far so simple. Now imagine you have to write down another sentence:

“My mother will die tomorrow.”

You probably found the second idea much more difficult. Because you shouldn’t write something like that. It’s best not to think something like that in the first place. Because thoughts are powerful, aren’t they?

But more and more studies suggest that the conviction (metacognition) that thoughts are powerful and uncontrollable contributes to the development and maintenance of mental disorders such as depression, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, etc. For example, anyone who is convinced that a thought such as “My mother/father could die soon.” is not just a thought, but a dark premonition that will materialize because we had this thought, with most likely feelings of anxiety, guilt and depression. If, on the other hand, we realize that thoughts are often nothing more than insignificant “brain farts”, of which we produce thousands every day, we remain relaxed and unimpressed. modern psychotherapy – especially metacognitive therapy – also makes use of these insights and achieves sometimes unprecedented therapeutic success…

For a long time, I suffered from severe exam anxiety. As a result, I either didn’t take important exams at all, put them off for a long time or only got through them under enormous stress (+ panic attacks). It was only when my brain understood some things better (cognitive restructuring) that exam situations became much more bearable, sometimes even downright relaxed. Watch the video to find out six of the best tips that have helped me (and many others)…

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Studies (just a small selection):

Brooks, A. W. (2014). Get excited: reappraising pre-performance anxiety as excitement. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143(3), 1144.

Bruehlman-Senecal, E., & Ayduk, O. (2015). This too shall pass: temporal distance and the regulation of emotional distress. Journal of personality and social psychology, 108(2), 356.

Bruehlman-Senecal, E., Ayduk, Ö., & John, O. P. (2016). Taking the long view: Implications of individual differences in temporal distancing for affect, stress reactivity, and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 111(4), 610.

Gao, Y., Zhang, Q., He, R., Liao, J., Feng, H., Deng, H., … & Mo, L. (2022). The Influences of Social Distance on Anxiety Caused by Spatial and Temporal Distance.

Rinaldi, L., Locati, F., Parolin, L., & Girelli, L. (2017). Distancing the present self from the past and the future: Psychological distance in anxiety and depression.

Many believe in them. Many have one. Lucky charms are objects that have accompanied us through many difficult situations and to which we attribute that we have survived these dangerous situations because they have brought us luck. But can talismans also be used therapeutically? Can they be used as reminders of anxiety situations that have already been successfully overcome? Do they give us the peace of mind we need to overcome new scary situations with ease? Or is carrying lucky charms ultimately even a counterproductive safety behavior that slows down progress?
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Studies (just a small selection):

Culver, N. C., Stoyanova, M., & Craske, M. G. (2011). Clinical relevance of retrieval cues for attenuating context renewal of fear. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 25(2), 284-292.

Dibbets, P., Moor, C., & Voncken, M. J. (2013). The effect of a retrieval cue on the return of spider fear. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 44(4), 361-367.

Dibbets, P., Moor, C., & Voncken, M. J. (2013). The effect of a retrieval cue on the return of spider fear. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 44(4), 361-367.

Shin, K. E., & Newman, M. G. (2018). Using retrieval cues to attenuate return of fear in individuals with public speaking anxiety. Behavior therapy, 49(2), 212-224.

The evidence is very clear: the more we embrace fear (exposure, confrontation), the more it will release us from its grip. But what can help us to successfully confront fears? And how can therapeutic fear confrontation be made even more effective?
The video contains four tips that have been derived directly from studies and are effective both in everyday life and in anxiety therapy.

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Studies (only a small selection; more studies can be found in the book “Angst – Was hilft wirklich… “):

Craske, M. (2015). Optimizing exposure therapy for anxiety disorders: an inhibitory learning and inhibitory regulation approach. Behavior Therapy, 25(2), 134-143.

Craske, M. G., Treanor, M., Conway, C. C., Zbozinek, T., & Vervliet, B. (2014). Maximizing exposure therapy: An inhibitory learning approach. Behavior research and therapy, 58, 10-23.

Gearing, R. E., Schwalbe, C. S., Lee, R., & Hoagwood, K. E. (2013). The effectiveness of booster sessions in CBT treatment for child and adolescent mood and anxiety disorders. Depression and anxiety, 30(9), 800-808.

Kirsch, I., Tennen, H., Wickless, C., Saccone, A. J., & Cody, S. (1983). The role of expectancy in fear reduction. Behavior Therapy, 14(4), 520-533.

Trivasse, H., Webb, T. L., & Waller, G. (2020). A meta-analysis of the effects of training clinicians in exposure therapy on knowledge, attitudes, intentions, and behavior. Clinical Psychology Review, 80, 101887.

Weisman, J. S., & Rodebaugh, T. L. (2018). Exposure therapy augmentation: A review and extension of techniques informed by an inhibitory learning approach. Clinical Psychology Review, 59, 41-51.