Arvid Kappas
I am a social psychologist by training, but my interdisciplinary work currently focuses on the complex interplay between humans and technology, particularly in social robotics and affective computing. I am interested in the cognitive and emotional processes that underpin human-robot interaction, to support the development of robots that can respond to human behavior across diverse social contexts. Furthermore, my research explores the psychological implications of human-robot relationships, examining how these interactions can influence our emotional experiences and social behaviors. Ultimately, I aim to better understand the gap between humans and machines, fostering a future in which technology enhances human well-being and social connections while accounting for ethical concerns.
Specialties: Psychology of Emotions, Affective Computing, Psychophysiology, Social Robotics, Nonverbal Behavior
I am a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. I have taken on various roles in scientific societies, such as the Society for Psychophysiological Research, the Association for the Advancement of Affective Computing, and I have been president of the International Society for Research on Emotions (ISRE; 2013-2018). In the past, I have been Associate Editor of the APA journal Emotion and Elsevier's Biological Psychology. In addition, I have been on editorial boards (Cognition and Emotion, Journal of Nonverbal Behavior).
I have been at Constructor University (previously Jacobs University) since 2003, and from 2014 to 2024, I was Dean of Graduate Studies and also responsible for social sciences and humanities (now School of Business, Social and Decision Sciences), as well as computer science.
Primary Interests:
- Communication, Language
- Emotion, Mood, Affect
- Internet and Virtual Psychology
- Interpersonal Processes
- Neuroscience, Psychophysiology
- Nonverbal Behavior
Research Group or Laboratory:
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The Psychology of (Cyber)Emotions
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44:56 The Psychology of (Cyber)Emotions
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19:43 Social Neuro Talks: 21 Questions Interview
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25:47 If Neuroscience Is the Answer, Then What Is the Question?
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0:44 Bildung Beyond Boundaries
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1:00:04 Oh Emotion, You Wondrous Thing!
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Books:
- Calvo, R.A. D'Mello, S. Gratch, J. & Kappas, A. (Eds.) (2015), Oxford Handbook of Affective Computing. New York, NY, Oxford University Press.
- Kappas, A., & Krämer, N.C. (Eds.). (2011). Face-to-face communication over the Internet: Emotions in a web of culture, language, and technology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Journal Articles:
- Cross, E.S., & Kappas, A. (2026). Social robotics is not (just) about machines. It is about people: Psychology’s role in developing social machines. Annual Review, 77. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-040325-025951
- Dukes, D., Abrams, K., Adolphs, R., Ahmed, M. E., Beatty, A., Berridge, K. C., Broomhall, S., Brosch, T., Campos, J. J., Clay, Z., Clément, F., Cunningham, W. A., Damasio, A., Damasio, H., D’Arms, J., Davidson, J. W., de Gelder, B., Deonna, J., de Sousa, R., … Sander, D. (2021). The rise of affectivism. Nature Human Behaviour, 5(7), 816–820. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01130-8.
- D’Mello, S., Kappas, A., & Gratch, J. (2018). The affective computing approach to affect measurement. Emotion Review, 10(2), 174–183. https://doi.org/10.1177/1754073917696583
- Kappas, A., & Gratch, J. (2023) These Aren’t The Droids You Are Looking for: Promises and Challenges for the Intersection of Affective Science and Robotics/AI. Affective Science 4, 580–585. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42761-023-00211-3
- Krumhuber E. G., & Kappas A. (2022). More what Duchenne smiles do, less what they express. Perspectives on Psychological Science. 17 (6), 1566-1575. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916211071083
- Krumhuber, E. G., Swiderska, A., Tsankova, E., Kamble, S. V., & Kappas, A. (2015). Real or artificial? Intergroup biases in mind perception in a cross-cultural perspective. PLoS ONE, 10(9), e0137840. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0137840
- Laban, G., Morrison, V., Kappas, A., & Cross, E.C. (2025). Coping with emotional distress via self-disclosure to robots: An intervention with caregivers. International Journal of Social Robotics, 7, 1837–1870 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-024-01207-0
- Pohl, J., Nikolovska, K., Maurelli, F., Kappas, A., & Hommel, B. (2025). Selfhood-attribution in a social context: Further evidence for a pars-pro-toto account. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1528172. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1528172
- Poluektova, O., Kappas, A., & Smith, C. A. (2023). Using Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory to Explain Individual Differences in the Appraisal of Problem-Focused Coping Potential. Emotion Review, 15(4), 302-312. https://doi.org/10.1177/17540739231164367
- Stower, R., Calvo-Barajas, N., Castellano, G., & Kappas, A. (2021). A Meta-analysis on Children’s Trust in Social Robots. International Journal of Social Robotics. 13, 1979-2001. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-020-00736-8
- Stower, R., Kappas, A. & Sommer, K. (2024). When is it right for a robot to be wrong? Children trust a robot over a human in a selective trust task. Computers in Human Behavior, 157, No. 108229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2024.108229
- Vanman, E.J., & Kappas, A. (2019). “Danger, Will Robinson!” The Challenges of Social Robots for Intergroup Relations. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 13 (8) . https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12489
Other Publications:
- Castellano, G., Paiva, A., Kappas, A., Aylett, R., Hastie, H., Barendregt, W., Nabais, F., & Bull, S. (2014). Towards empathic virtual and robotic tutors. In H C Lane, K Yacef, J Mostow, & P Pavlik (Eds.) Artificial Intelligence in education (pp. 733-736). Berlin, Germany: Springer.
- Kappas, A. (2011). To our emotions, with love: How affective should affective computing be? Affective Computing and Intelligent Interaction 4th International Conference 2011 Proceedings, Part I, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 6874, 1.
- Kappas, A. (2003). What facial activity can and cannot tell us about emotions. In M. Katsikitis (Ed.), The human face: Measurement and meaning (pp. 215-234). Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
- Kappas, A. (2001). A metaphor is a metaphor is a metaphor: Exorcising the homunculus from appraisal theory. In K. R. Scherer, A. Schorr, & T. Johnstone (Eds.), Appraisal Processes in Emotion: Theory, Methods, Research (pp. 157-172). New York: Oxford University Press.
- Kappas, A., & Descôteaux, J. (2003). Of butterflies and roaring thunder: Nonverbal communication in interaction and regulation of emotion. In P. Philippot, E. J. Coats, & R. S. Feldman (Eds.), Nonverbal behavior in clinical settings (pp. 45-74). New York: Oxford University Press.
- Müller, M. G., & Kappas, A. (2011). Visual emotions – emotional visuals: Emotions, pathos formulae, and their relevance for communication research. In K. Döveling, C. von Scheve, & E. A. Konijn (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Emotions and Mass Media (pp. 310-331). Abingdon, OX; UK: Routledge.
Courses Taught:
- Communication and Interaction
- Emotion and Motivation
- Social Neuroscience
Arvid Kappas
Constructor University
Campus Ring 1
28759 Bremen
Germany
- Phone: +49 (0)421 200 3441
- Fax: +49 (0)421 200 3303
