There is now a way to monitor a person's feelings and mood swings by simply using a mobile phone app. Designed by a team from the University of Cambridge, the Android app is free to download and is compatible with any mobile device.
Many people spend thousands on a therapist to help them manage their mood swings and emotional highs and lows, and draw out ways to avoid triggers of unwanted feelings and behaviors. While this is an effective practice, nobody goes about their daily life with a therapist by their side to continuously monitor them - meetings are usually done weekly.
Given this limitation, the Emotion Sense app bridges the gap during the absence of a therapist. The app helps collect relevant information from the user on his mood and feelings during different times of the day and given different circumstances- activities, locations, or people. An "emotional grid" tabulates the user's feelings which the app uses to draw out survey questions to determine the person's overall emotional state. Random notifications pop-up collecting mood information from the user at any time of the day.
After using the app for eight weeks, the user is expected to have a clearer knowledge and understanding of what drives his varying moods and emotions, what triggers stress or anger, or what sends him to a state of sadness and depression. All these information are vital to providing the right emotional support to an individual. Even while the user continues to see a therapist the app may be a useful tool to help manage emotions.
The creators hope the software will become a reliable source of information that may be further used to help psychologists and therapists treat their patients. The longer a person uses the Emotion Sense app the more it is able to provide reliable data about the user.
The Emotion Sense app is available for download free for Android devices.