Emotional Support through AI: Venting to Artificial Intelligence or a Human May Offer Comparable Emotional Well-Being Benefits

In a preregistered between-subjects experiment (N=279), participants were assigned to an AI-assisted or perceived human-assisted venting condition, though both received AI-generated responses. Venting reduced stress and loneliness and increased perceived support across conditions. Emotional benefits were comparable, indicating AI chatbots may provide well-being improvements similar to human responders.