Large language models do not have emotions

A paper published in Nature Human Behaviour by Amit Goldenberg and James J. Gross argues that large language models do not have emotions, challenging claims that AI systems can experience feelings. The authors draw on psychological theories of emotion to contend that LLMs lack the biological and experiential components necessary for emotional states.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution https://wayf.springernature.com?redirect uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41562-026-02558-6 Access options Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription 27,99 € / 30 days cancel any time Subscribe to this journal Receive 12 digital issues and online access to articles 118,99 € per year only 9,92 € per issue Buy this article - Purchase on SpringerLink - Instant access to the full article PDF. 39,95 € Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout Subjects References James, W. Mind 9 , 188–205 1884 .Adolphs, R. & Andler, D. Emot. Rev. 10 , 191–201 2018 .Keltner, D. & Gross, J. J. Cogn. Emot. 13 , 467–480 1999 .Sofroniew, N. et al. Preprint at transformer-circuits.pub https://transformer-circuits.pub/2026/emotions/index.html https://transformer-circuits.pub/2026/emotions/index.html 2026 .Uusberg, A., Taxer, J. L., Yih, J., Uusberg, H. & Gross, J. J. Emot. Rev. 11 , 267–282 2019 .Ellsworth, P. C. & Scherer, K. R. in Handbook of Affective Sciences eds Davidson, R. J. et al. 572–595 Oxford Univ. Press, 2003 .Lindquist, K. A., Wager, T. D., Kober, H., Bliss-Moreau, E. & Barrett, L. F. Behav. Brain Sci. 35 , 121–143 2012 .Lee, K. M. & Satpute, A. B. Soc. Cogn. Affect. Neurosci. 19 , nsae043 2024 .Satpute, A. B. & Lindquist, K. A. Trends Cogn. Sci. 23 , 851–864 2019 .Goldenberg, A. Perspect. Psychol. Sci. 19 , 489–502 2024 . Author information Authors and Affiliations Corresponding author Ethics declarations Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests. Rights and permissions About this article Cite this article Goldenberg, A., Gross, J.J. Large language models do not have emotions. Nat Hum Behav 2026 . https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-026-02558-6 Published: Version of record: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-026-02558-6