The app uses red for upsetting or worrying messages, green for good ones, and blue for neutral Source: BBC
Computer scientists have developed a mobile phone app that can predict the tone of incoming messages before a user reads them so that they are not caught off guard by angry or hostile words.
The Android phone app “Stress @ Work”, created at the University of Portsmouth‘s School of Computing, distinguishes good messages from bad and neutral ones, and colour codes them accordingly.
This way, a user can see before opening a message whether it is likely to be worrying or not and may choose not to open negative messages if they are already having a stressful day.
Senior lecturer Mohamed Gaber told the BBC the “ultimate objective” of the app was to ensure that people are made aware of when they will receive negative content “so they are able to manage their stress in the best possible way.”
“Whether we are reading a worrying social media news story or a warning email from our manager, messages can upset mood and increase stress level, just as good news and encouraging emails can cheer you up,” he said.
Some days users may receive more negative content than others, he said, adding: “It is important that the user attempts to take an action in order to not get stressed, especially if this may affect the individual’s performance at work and/or their behaviour at home.”
The app comes “pre-trained”, but users are able to self-label any incoming text message to personalize it – as some messages may be perceived in a different way by different users.
The developers hope to make the app available for free downloading from the Android marketplace by the end of June, and on other platforms within the next academic year.
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SÃle Cleary is a regular contributor to Toronto Standard. Follow her on Twitter at @silecleary.
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