The All-China Association of Counseling Psychologists of the Republic of China conducted a stress survey on college students. Among them, 5% of college students with weak social and emotional abilities often choose to seek help from AI when they encounter difficulties in adapting to life and adjusting to the environment. Wang Yuming, vice president of the Taiwan Counseling Psychology Association, said that using AI to talk about emotions or seek help can only provide "partial" support. Students still need to pragmatically break through difficulties, and psychological counseling can provide substantial psychological support.
The All-China Federation of Associations conducted a questionnaire survey and statistical analysis on 2,558 college students in colleges and universities across Taiwan from April to September this year. Chen Bolin, director of the Department of Psychology and Counseling at the National Taipei University of Education, said that 40% of college students have good social and emotional abilities. Although this group of students tends to underestimate their own abilities, they have a high degree of self-awareness and introspection, and can maintain flexibility and self-kindness under pressure.
Chen Bolin said that this "humble and conscious" trait is the key to improving social and emotional abilities. However, there are still 5% of college students with weak social and emotional abilities who encounter difficulties in adapting to life because they do not understand themselves well. Campuses still need to strengthen psychological support and counseling measures for high-risk groups.
Chen Bolin said that with the rise of AI tools, some students will first use AI chatbots to adjust themselves, and even actively share "I have chatted with AI first" during interviews. Although AI can provide initial stress relief, professional psychologists are still needed to intervene to establish a safer and more effective psychological support system.
Wang Yuming said that AI can provide some kind of emotional support effect, but it cannot replace real human contact. If a person is locked in a room for a long time and only talks to AI instead of communicating with people, he will lose the ability to actually interact with real people. Therefore, students need to have mental health independent judgment when using AI, how to clearly distinguish the gap with the concept of consultation during chatting with AI, and how to timely judge the feedback given by AI. Counseling psychologists are human beings, and the relationships, emotions, understanding, and empathy between people cannot currently be fully simulated by AI.
Chen Bolin said that "stress mentality" is like a converter, determining whether pressure is push or resistance, and "self-care" can help transform stress into a force for growth. Li Qingyin, a member of the National Federation of Counseling Psychiatrists Associations of the Republic of China, said, "Stress is not the enemy, mentality is the key."