Emotions in social interactions: Unfolding emotional experience

© 2011, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. This chapter takes into account the role of emotions in social interactions, both face-to-face and video-mediated. Emotions are conceptualised as ongoing processes rooted in dynamic social contexts, which can shape both implicit and explicit emotional responses. Emotion interactions are therefore considered as continuously developing, thanks to the relationship between interactants and between them and the surrounding environment. Theories of emotions as non-static phenomena are illustrated before presenting a review of literature on regulating processes in emotional interactions. Finally, based on the theoretical framework described in this chapter, comparisons between an emotionally competent human and an emotionally competent artificial agent are drawn.