Emo Lisa

Emo Lisa is a training programme based on the Japanese concept of kuuki wo yomu, which the developer describes as reading the room or atmosphere: picking up on mood, non-verbal signals and emotional cues independently of what is actually being said. The programme centres on eight fundamental human emotions and the facial expressions associated with each. Players first study the characteristics of these emotions and then practise identifying them within the software.

The developer recommends daily sessions of at least five minutes. The intended process runs in stages: learning the emotions and their expressions, training regularly with Emo Lisa, then applying the knowledge to people encountered in everyday life. From there, the programme encourages adjusting one’s communication to match the emotional state of a person or group.

A further stated goal is spotting deception by noticing when someone’s words do not match their displayed emotion, such as a person claiming to be pleased while showing boredom, anger, contempt, a fake smile or disgust. The developer also states that experts characterise unhealthy relationships by frequent, repeated and prolonged displays of contempt or disgust, and presents the training as a way to assess relationships on that basis.