Write! Draw! Move!: Investigating the Effects of Positive and Negative Self-Reflection on Emotion through Self-Expression Modalities

Self-reflection is understood as a mental process of examining inner experiences to evaluate thoughts and emotions, leading to increased self-awareness and understanding [25, 54]. For graduate students, self-awareness of their emotional state and mindset is crucial for navigating the unique challenges of their academic journey [17, 20, 62]. While most models of self-reflection emphasize recognizing and addressing difficulties, recent research suggests that focusing exclusively on problems may inadvertently reinforce negative emotional states and rumination [16]. Expanding the scope of reflection to include positive experiences can foster resilience and emotional growth [29]. Positive psychology offers a complementary perspective, highlighting the benefits of focusing on positive self-reflection of past experiences. This approach is linked to lower negative affect and increased positive affect, described by Fredrickson and Joiner as an "upward spiral" of emotional well-being [22]. Research suggests that reflecting on positive emotions related to upsetting events can be as therapeutic as expressing negative feelings [55]. This aids in emotion regulation [37], promotes perspective shifts, and fosters openness to new experiences [53].

Since emotional self-expression can reduce stress, offer valuable insights, and contribute to students’ academic development [32, 40], innovative approaches where users connect with challenges and emotions from multiple perspectives exemplify the benefits [31, 67, 68, 69]. For instance, SelVReflect [69] offers active voice-based guidance in a virtual reality setting, providing users with a space to freely express themselves and reflect on personal challenges. Similarly, MoodShaper [68] enables users to manage negative emotions by creating personalized virtual environments to incite emotional regulation and resilience. Recent advances in ambient biofeedback systems have inspired tools like DeLight and MoodLight which use physiological data, such as heart rate variability, to adjust ambient lighting based on users’ arousal levels. These subtle environmental cues promote emotional awareness, self-regulation, and well-being [60, 72].

Research shows that verbal expression, particularly through expressive writing [74], can effectively reduce academic stress and negative emotions [3, 30]. Studies show that students who regularly engage in expressive writing experience a gradual reduction in stress and an ability to articulate emotions in writing rather than through speech [3]. Expressive writing enhances emotional awareness and cognitive processing. Research by Maslej et al. indicates that it fosters analytical rumination and causal exploration, aiding problem-solving in undergraduates [43]. Additionally, research suggests that expressive writing contributes to subjective well-being by increasing happiness and life satisfaction, as students who engage in this practice report greater emotional clarity and self-understanding [10].

Visual art provides a powerful outlet for stress relief. In Yamamoto et al.’s study, graduate students used "Stress Monsters" to externalize their stress, which helped them understand and manage it through strategies like control, detachment, and normalization. [52]. Mols et al.’s study explored how visual and other self-expression modalities influence reflection and fit into daily life. Their in-the-wild deployment of three interactive prototypes – Balance (audio modality), Cogito (textual modality), and Dott (visual modality) – revealed that visuals and text were more easily integrated into daily routines, with visuals supporting deeper emotional expression [47].

Movement is a powerful form of self-expression, with research showing it both reflects and regulates emotions through a bidirectional link. [56]. Shafir et al. further explored this connection, identifying specific movement characteristics associated with particular emotions, demonstrating how intentionally choosing or avoiding certain movements can embody happiness and manage negative emotions like anxiety [57]. While technologies like the Affective Diary capture "bodily memorabilia" through sensors mapping movement and arousal levels, these technology-driven interpretations can sometimes be severed from the user's actual emotional experience [61]. This suggests that intentional self-expression through body movement, rather than reflecting on passively captured data, might be more beneficial for embodying emotions.

As demonstrated by Shafir et al. [56] and Mols et al. [47], more research is needed to compare modalities, especially expression through movement. There is also a need to focus on positive reflection, rather than solely on negative experiences. To address these gaps, we investigated self-expression in different modalities and the impact of reflection on both negative and positive experiences. This work aims to inform the development and implementation of digital technologies that better support the specific needs of graduate students in managing their emotional well-being.

We implemented a counterbalanced within-subjects experimental design with two conditions: reflecting on a positive experience and reflecting on a negative experience. Task instructions were minimal and explicit examples or prompts were not provided to ensure participants considered their own interpretation of reflecting on positive and negative experiences. To encourage participants to be as open as possible, they were asked to reflect on experiences that they were comfortable sharing and expressing through each of the three modalities, i.e., writing, visual art, and body movement. The order of modalities was randomized to minimize bias [8].

The study was conducted in a large user studies lab with a separate observation room with a one-way mirror. A small table and chairs were placed in the center of the room. A GoPro camera was placed on the side of the table facing the participant. Three more GoPros were placed at different distances from the participant to capture different angles of the entire scene (Fig. 1).

Furniture and the GoPro cameras are placed as described in the text: In front of the participant's chair, Camera 1 can be seen on the table, and Camera 3 is on the other side of the table, overhead. Camera 2 covers the participant's right side in a vertical orientation, and Camera 4 covers their back on the other side, overlooking the entire room.

Fig. 2 illustrates the counterbalanced study design. Upon arriving at the lab, participants reviewed and signed the consent form. Participants then completed a demographic questionnaire and the PANAS questionnaire [15], after which they engaged in positive and negative self-reflection separately (i.e., two conditions) through each of the modalities (Fig. 3).

Process fully described in the text.

In the first image, the first participant is writing on the paper and pad provided as captured by Camera 1. The second image shows an overhead view captured from Camera 4 of another participant engaged in the visual reflection surrounded by the art materials provided. The third image shows a vertical orientation shot of a participant walking away from Camera 2 with their fists closed.

After participants completed one condition (i.e., the positive or negative experience), they completed the PANAS questionnaire for a second time. Participants took a 15-minute break between conditions, during which we provided snacks. We intentionally avoided providing sugary snacks or caffeinated beverages that could affect their mood for the second half of the study [66]. After completing the second condition, participants completed the PANAS for a third time. The session ended with a semi-structured interview about participants’ experiences. To mitigate potential negative emotional effects of ending the study on a negative experience [16], we offered participants additional time to reflect on another positive experience through their preferred modality. This was not recorded and was entirely optional.

We recruited participants via emails sent to their university accounts and snowball sampling [48]. Prospective participants completed a Google form to determine eligibility. Participants were required to be graduate students at our university, between 18-35 years of age, and willing and able to express themselves through body movements. We sent the consent form to eligible students to review ahead of the session. Fourteen graduate students consented to participate (9 women, 5 men), of which 8 were majoring in Human-Centered Computing (3 PhD and 5 MS), 3 in Engineering Management (MS), one in Computer Science (PhD), one in Data Science (MS), and one in Biology (MS). Participants self-reported their ages according to ranges: 18 - 23 years (n=2), 24 - 29 years (n=11), and 30 - 35 years (n=1). The majority of participants were Asian (n=11), two were Middle-Eastern, and one was White. The single study session took an average of 1 hour and 52 minutes to complete (± 29 mins). The study was approved by the university's institutional review board.

The participants noted a stark contrast between reflecting on positive and negative experiences. P02 explained the dichotomy between the positive and negative conditions as, “Thinking about the negative one make, make me like more sad but thinking about the positive experience made me more proud and strong.” Participants reported the positive reflection condition to be “exciting,” “interesting,” and “easier to express” while they recounted various interlinked positive moments, such as P06 who expressed a “truly happy” memory with “exhilarating” nostalgia. P07 recalled multiple happy instances, “First I thought I will have one positive like experience, but I started like writing many positive experiences. I didn't know. Like, it kind of made me excited.”

Although some participants felt sad or frustrated during the negative condition, the majority described feeling a sense of emotional relief and calmness by the end, as explained by P07, “The negative experience like start, like putting all the excitement down. Yeah. And I'm now like, in a calm state.” P08 expressed feeling more “concentrate in the second study [negative self-reflection condition], rather than the [positive self-reflection condition]. And that was interesting because after [negative self-reflection], I felt more calm and how to say something like when you release your stress, right? Like that.” This corresponds with the fact that only one out of the seven participants who ended the session on the negative condition chose to reflect on an additional positive experience. Participants also felt they gained valuable insights from evaluating their behavior through new perspectives, as illustrated in Fig. 6 and explained by P04, “And in the negative ones, I didn't give quite a thought about what happened to me. It was more about how I am as of now because of that, and how we can just learn to strive in a positive manner, and how it actually made a significant impact in my life.”

The first image has handwritten text that reads, "I could see how my very own friends betrayed me in those occasions. I was being ignored and not noticed when I met them in public. But it gave me more understanding on how to keep your expectations lower towards people and consider their efforts as a gift in your life”. The second image has a smiling face of a person drawn at the center of the paper, surrounded by five pop-ups emerging from its head, symbolizing negative events and emotions. One prominent element is a cutout of a ship glued as if it is falling into another cutout of a sea filled with birds below the smiling face.

Engaging in self-reflection, regardless of whether it is positive or negative or the modality through which it is expressed, provided space for participants to process and analyze their emotions. Negative reflection, in particular, helped participants understand their past reactions and aim to improve future responses, adding to personal growth as noted by P04, “I would prefer more on my negative modality (over positive reflection modalities). Because that's when you can see what happened and why you were reacting in a way back in the time” (Fig. 6). Participants gained positive insights from negative reflection, potentially shaping future actions. Writing was especially helpful, as P14 explained, “For writing, I would say it's a, it's a good way of um seeing like, like like having a kind of a log of all of your thoughts would be the right way of saying it. Like you can, you can log every single thought of any emotion that you're having and you can check them: how right they are, how wrong they are and stuff.” For example, P12 recognized self-love and valuing supportive relationships as a transformative learning experience (Fig. 7).

Many participants also recognized the importance of positive reflection, emphasizing that it leads to personal growth. As explained by P01, “What I learned was, I reflect a lot on negative stuffs. But I do think I have to reflect a lot on positive things also, because you, I can't take it for granted. And it's like, you know, sometimes people go wrong on positive things also. So I learned that I have to reflect on my positive stuffs also, and see how my character has improved.” P04 expressed similar sentiments, “In positive thinking, it was more about looking out and thinking more about what I had back in the days and then how I could have enjoyed it more and live my life more better. And negative, it was like how I can be inspired with that and take it to my future lives.”

The image has handwritten text that reads, "in my life. Some people just come to your life to teach you lessons. And I think I have learnt mine. I cherish the people that love me, care for me and I don't really care who doesn't want me. Now on, I will focus on myself and my people because I have bigger goals to achieve than sit and worry about toxic shit that some people bring in my life.”

Participants often identified the most familiar modality as the easiest or most comfortable for engaging in self-reflection. P03 exemplified this contrast regarding writing and drawing, specifically, “I do write and I draw on my hobby. So those two were like, both for the negative and positive, it felt more natural to me to write and draw because that's what I do.” However, referring to the less familiar modality of movement, P03 described the experience as “one of the first times - so that was awkward but fun.”

Familiarity also shaped how participants handled positive or negative experiences. Most found expressing positive experiences easier, like P05 who stated, “it was easier to express positive emotions than the negative emotions.” However, a few participants, like P08, who were not used to openly sharing positive experiences, found positive self-reflection harder, “Most of the time, I never share my happiness. Okay, if something would happen to me, I never share. So that's why maybe the I'm, that's not a reason. I'm just thinking. That's maybe why I didn't write anything in my positive emotion because I don't know. I never learned how to express my positive emotion.” Sharing their experience with friends or any support system was also brought up by quite a few participants who went on to suggest integrating a conversational space: “I don't know it's my preference, but I prefer somebody to talk to. Like, I'm kind of person who express from my words, like talk and it comes out, otherwise, it's pretty hard to express" – P04.

Repetition of reflection through varied mediums provided emotional context and a deeper understanding. P14 appreciated “exploring the same memory again” through multiple modalities. Participants such as P03 also suggested including a tutorial as well as props to interact with to make the movement modality easier to approach:

P03: Maybe showing them a video of what it could be like, for people that don't know what it means to express yourself through movement. Or it could you can give them a prop, very neutral prop, like a piece of papers and kind of just fumble around with a newspaper, a ball, give them something to get going. The whole recognition recall, it's easier to- Researcher: Maybe like the cutouts we had for visual? P03: I think the cutouts too would be really good. Be it something as simple as just like clicking a pen to just kind of get them moving.

A few participants desired the addition of music, as highlighted by P06, “When I was doing mime, I was ok; but when I was doing the dance thing, I was missing music,” and further emphasized by P10, “If there's music, Sure! Yeah, I'll like move and dance. But yeah, it's like if there's no music, just kind of like what am I doing?”.

Overall, prior experience, familiar objects, and repeated practice enhanced comfort and creativity in different modalities in the positive and negative reflection conditions. This highlights opportunities for digital technologies to incorporate familiar elements or leverage metaphors in their design. Meanwhile, offering new experiences, such as self-expression through movement or positive reflection, can provide fresh perspectives that support well-being.

In this work, we contribute to the design of future self-reflection technologies by examining how each of the three self-expression modalities—writing, visual art and movement—impacts graduate students’ emotions (RQ1) and the differences apparent under the negative and positive reflection conditions (RQ2). In the remainder of the section, we discuss our findings in relation to the current literature, along with limitations and future.

Our sample of participants was somewhat small and lacked racial and ethnic diversity which may increase the risk of Type II errors in the quantitative analysis [58]. While this limitation may affect the generalizability of the quantitative results, our primary focus was on qualitative analysis, which prioritizes transferability [50]. Moreover, the sample size aligns with the median reported in qualitative research in HCI [9] and the racial and ethnic diversity is representative of the graduate student population at our institution. Our quantitative results primarily support and contextualize the qualitative findings and may apply to institutions with similar demographics. However, to understand the implications of multimodal reflection tools for graduate students more broadly, future research should recruit a larger, more diverse sample to capture a wider range of experiences. Studies should also address graduate students’ specific challenges to explore how self-expression modalities support academic and personal growth.

As the goal of the study was to inform the design of future digital self-reflection tools, we did not develop a user interface [7]. Building on current results, our future work will develop and evaluate a digital self-reflection prototype that supports the specific needs of graduate students in managing their emotional well-being. Co-design sessions with a diverse group of graduate students will be conducted. Additionally, including physiological measures like heart rate variability and skin conductance with self-reports can provide objective emotional insights.