Mood Recognition Based on Upper Body Posture and Movement Features

While studying body postures in relation to mood is not a new concept, the majority of these studies rely on actors interpretations. This project investigated the temporal aspects of naturalistic body postures while users listened to mood inducing music. Video data was collected while participants listened to eight minutes of music during two sessions (happy and sad) in a within-subjects design. Subjectively reported mood scores validated that mood did differ significantly for valence and energy. Video analysis consisted of postural ratings for the head, shoulders, trunk, arms, and head & hand tapping. Results showed significant differences for the majority of these dimensions by mood. This study showed that certain body postures are indicative of certain mood states in a naturalistic setting. Automatic recognition of body postures can thus lead to one of the first unobtrusive mood recognition systems, which will help in the development of emotionally smart technology.