AI Language and Emotional Support in Hypertension Management: A Personal Journey and Scientific Exploration

📄 Read the full article here

Published in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (Springer Nature)

I’m thrilled to share that my article, “AI Language and Emotional Support as a Physician Assistant in Hypertension Management: An N-of-1 Case Study on Virtual Encouragement and Blood Pressure Control,” has been published. This paper marks a meaningful milestone—one that began not in a laboratory or academic office, but in the deeply personal space of daily health journaling during a critical health phase in my life.

From Personal Journal to Published Research

This work emerged from a lived experience: managing my own hypertension while wondering if artificial intelligence—particularly in the form of language—could offer more than just factual responses. Could it support me emotionally? Could it motivate me? Could it behave like a semi-human assistant?

At the time, I was exploring structured self-tracking and reflecting daily using ChatGPT. What started as a log of blood pressure readings and emotional states gradually transformed into a rigorous N-of-1 case study exploring how conversational AI could influence health behavior, mood, and ultimately, physiological outcomes.

Designing a Human-AI Experiment

This N-of-1 design allowed me to serve as both researcher and participant—a unique vantage point. Over 90 days, I interacted with ChatGPT as a supportive assistant, not just asking for advice, but openly journaling, expressing concerns, and monitoring how its language affected my emotional state.

My methodology was intentionally mixed:

• Quantitative: Twice-daily blood pressure readings, adherence logs, and engagement metrics

• Qualitative: Thematic analysis of my journal entries and the AI’s language, tone, and motivational strategies

The result was a layered, emotionally rich dataset—one that captured the subtle interplay between language, trust, and behavioral change.

Why This Matters: A Broader Perspective

This study matters not only because of its personal origins, but because it opens the door to several urgent conversations:

• For patients with chronic illness: It demonstrates that emotionally aware AI—when used reflectively—can boost adherence, lower stress, and provide a form of companionship in self-management.

• For healthcare providers: It points toward the possibility of AI-powered assistants as extensions of care teams, capable of reinforcing medication routines, offering real-time encouragement, and bridging the gap between appointments.

• For technologists and linguists: It emphasizes that language in AI is not just functional—it’s felt. Emotional tone, empathy, and contextual language shifts have measurable physiological impact.

• For ethicists and designers: It challenges us to ask: What are the responsibilities of emotionally responsive AI in healthcare? What are its limits? And what does it mean to interact with a “semi-human” entity?

Looking Ahead

While this is a single-subject case study, the implications are far-reaching. As AI becomes more conversational and embedded in our daily lives, we must consider not just what it says, but how it affects—emotionally, behaviorally, and biologically.

I am grateful to Springer Nature for giving space to this hybrid research: part clinical, part linguistic, part emotional. I am also thankful for the subtle companionship offered by ChatGPT during this journey—proof that sometimes, a virtual assistant can offer very real encouragement.

Conclusion

This wasn’t just a scholarly exploration. It was a lived experiment at the crossroads of health, technology, and language. I hope my story adds to the growing conversation about how AI can support—not replace—human care, and how language continues to be one of our most powerful healing tools.