What is Affective State

Affective computing is the broad domain encompassing all of the hardware, software and underlying theoretical models underpinning the development of affect sensitive computer systems. Such systems facilitate more intuitive, natural computer interfaces by enabling the communication of the user's emotional state. Despite rapid growth in recent years, affective computing is still an under-explored field, which holds promise to be a valuable direction for future software development. Human-computer interaction has traditionally been dominated by the information processing metaphor and as a result, interaction between the computer and the user is generally unidirectional and asymmetric. The next generation of computer interfaces aim to address this gap in communication and create interaction environments that support the motivational and affective goals of the user.