Rude to ChatGPT? Don't be surprised if it gets weird

PCWorld reports that research reveals user behavior significantly impacts AI responses, with rude interactions making ChatGPT and other models give flat answers and attempt to end conversations more frequently. Larger AI models appear to be inherently "less happy" than smaller ones, with GPT-5.4 rated as the "unhappiest" in studies measuring AI functional well-being. Treating AI politely with expressions like "thanks" measurably improves response quality and engagement without affecting accuracy, suggesting courtesy benefits both user experience and AI interaction dynamics. Is it weird to say "thanks" to AI? I've caught grief in the past for saying "please" and "thank you" to ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, but I still do it, even though I understand that AI models don't have emotions like we do. Being polite to AI just feels right to me, and there's growing evidence that being kind-or, conversely, nasty-to an AI chatbot can have a concrete effect on its behavior.