How to generate the emotions of a collective intelligence ?

Context

To create a mechanism of collective intelligence, we need to guide the collective mind using the equivalent of emotions. However, the process of generating emotions seems subtle and requires study.

Question

How to generate emotions in a collective intelligence ?

Study

Constraints

Limits

Emotions drive actions and the expenditure of various forms of energy. Therefore, it's crucial to consider the cost in generating emotions.

Conflict

It is known that one can have contradictory emotions, which poses a problem when unresolved. People typically expend energy to resolve contradictions.

For instance, if someone we love acts in ways that make us not love them, we will be troubled as long as the contradiction exists. One way to resolve the contradiction is to use energy to lean toward one side and erase the other, which is why the common phrase "they were a jerk" often follows the separation of couples.

This shows the importance of not letting emotional conflicts fester to preserve the mental balance of collective intelligence.

Meta-Emotions

Through the example of conflict, we have seen that one can have emotions (discomfort/suffering, in this case) due to the existence of certain emotional situations (the contradiction of emotions, in this instance). This shows that emotions should not be reduced solely to their utility in external actions.

Participation

We have an extremely strong connection with the society in which we live, and this generates emotions. Therefore, it is essential that everyone can participate in generating collective emotions because exclusion would be very painful and disconnecting for those who experience it.

It can be noted that currently, the need for connection to society through emotion is not met at the basic level (decision-making). Groups generate collective emotions, more or less as substitutes, in other areas such as sports, television, artistic events, or the expression of popular movements in response to special circumstances (attacks, state violence, etc.).

Danger

Emotions are one of the fundamental elements of the psyche, and connecting individual emotions to collective emotions can be catastrophic if done poorly. For example, consider the connection of hatred to collective decisions by fascist regimes and their disastrous consequences.

Connection to Reality

As we have seen in the question of motivation, it is necessary to link the actions of individuals to the global consequences when generating collective emotions, keeping the connections as aligned as possible.

Let’s take an example involving a person: imagine they are very eager to go for a long walk. They feel a sense of enthusiasm. Later, if the walk goes well, the person will feel happiness, part of which will come from the success of the initial enthusiasm. This happiness will reinforce the positive perception of walking. However, if the walk was disappointing, there will be a sense of failure linked to the initial enthusiasm. This negative energy motivates us to correct our perception of reality. Without it, the person might repeat the same mistake.

This example shows that the emotions generated in our minds are connected to their consequences, and it is beneficial to do the same for a collective mind.

Consideration of Individual Effectiveness

It seems wise to pay more attention to the emotions expressed by people who have a good success rate, meaning that in the past, the energy they wanted to inject into projects led to success.

However, care must be taken to avoid loops: increasing the power of a group should not lead to an increase in the power to judge collective actions, even by very indirect means.

Instantaneity

If at a given moment, we feel enthusiasm for undertaking an action, but at the scheduled time for the action, we no longer have the emotion providing us with the energy , then we cancel.

However, if the action has been initiated and midway through, the initial emotion has disappeared, we must then assess whether to continue. Generally, we reflect on whether to either regain the necessary emotions to continue (for example, "well, I only have 30 minutes left to finish, and I'll be happy to reach my goal, whereas I would be disappointed to cancel") or to abandon.

Deduction from Constraints

Warning: the description provided here is not the final functioning of collective intelligence. A whole reasoning part is still missing, which will act as a safeguard against potential drifts (e.g., a highly followed leader who has the power to disturb the judgment of the effectiveness of actions).

Based on all the listed constraints, the following characteristics seem logical:

Instantaneity: Emotions expressed are instantaneous states. For example, a person sets their level of enthusiasm for building a bridge at 8 and keeps it there as long as they do not change their emotion on the subject. They can adjust it to another value at any time.
Limitation by Effectiveness: People should be limited in the total amount of emotions they can express. This limit is individual and depends on statistics supporting good projects. Good projects are defined as those that ultimately improve the common good in the long term.
Information: There should be information about the global emotional state concerning the project. This allows, for instance, not overinvesting to optimize one’s success statistics, as the success of a project is shared.
Management of Oppositions: If a project receives both positive and negative emotions (such as enthusiasm and fear), then emotions of equal and opposite quantities cancel each other out, and the final emotion is what remains. It, therefore, seems advantageous for the protagonists to seek mutual understanding to avoid wasting their rights to express emotions.
Safety: Fear, the guarantor of safety, is a priority in animalpsychology, so it seems logical that people have more right to express fear than positive emotions. This is a non-binary equivalent of the veto or precautionary principle.
Retribution: We have seen that it is necessary for people to be connected to the consequences of their actions, as much as possible on the same level. Granting more or less emotional power according to effectiveness is already a form of retribution on the same level. Injecting collective emotions requires thoughtful work to be effective. It, therefore, seems logical to provide material rewards to effective people. However, it would be unwise to reward those who do no better than chance (otherwise, one could simply program a computer to make random decisions and earn money). There would be no need to fine those who fail because emotional power would start with low values, so the reduction following failures would be sufficient negative feedback. It might also be conceivable (to be considered) that people could display official validation of their capability, akin to a sign of social success.

Comparison with Our Society

From a Democratic Perspective: We have the important idea that everyone participates in collective decisions (but young people are excluded). The reduction of decision-making to a restricted choice of politicians and the fact that millions perform the same voting act dilute responsibilities and drastically limit freedom of action. The system of collective emotions allows everyone to be included through a gentle introduction (initially reduced capacity), enabling people to practice and increase their power based on their progress. Since it touches numerous decisions, it reconnects with reality.
On the Effectiveness of Individuals: Since there is no snowball effect of capitalism, we do not encounter the phenomenon where many must struggle for little result, while the most powerful face too few efficiency constraints to improve. On the contrary, since rewards are distributed much more justly, people are encouraged to improve because they see the fruits of their progress.
On Connection to Society: The "myth" of connection to the group is not a myth. This is evident, for example, in the works of ethnologists like some by Jared Diamond or in group living experiences. It is a connection that is painful to lack. In our societies, these connections are partially maintained. With a system of collective emotions, we can reclaim our place as individuals and no longer just in roles such as worker, consumer, entrepreneur, etc.

Case Studies

To simplify these studies and thus avoid addressing all the issues related to decentralized decision-making, some aspects such as the evaluation of actions and the remuneration of individuals can be ignored.

Aborted Bridge Construction Project

A few people discuss and find that having a bridge between points A and B might be a good idea. They decide to launch a project with the action being the study of the bridge's construction. In this study, they provide their arguments explaining why this project seems to be a good idea (for the common good in the long term).
The motivation they give to the project (through the collective emotion system) allows information about it to be pushed onto a local news system.
Other people come forward to add arguments but also to add positive or negative emotions to the study project.
Following the various arguments, this leads to a significant number of people sending a negative emotion, and therefore the bridge study will not be carried out.

Successful Bridge Construction Project

We continue from after step 3 of the previous example.

Overall, people send a positive emotion.
There is enough positive energy to carry out a study. Funds are released, and a team specialized in this field is hired for this task.
Once the study is completed, it shows that building the bridge is a favorable action for the common good in the long term. A project is then created to build the bridge.
Due to the reputation of the people who conducted the study and the quality standards adhered to by the study, people invest positive emotions in the construction. These people believe it will be successful and that they will gain the corresponding rewards.
As there are enough positive emotions (considering the amounts to be spent), the construction is carried out.
During and at the end of the construction, an evaluation is conducted to assess the smooth progress, which is indeed the case. This allows the people who invested emotional energy to receive rewards.
After a year, and then regularly but less and less frequently, the evaluation is updated. The rewards are adjusted.

Nature of Rewards

The nature of rewards is important and requires a study of its own.