Independent benchmark · EQ Lab

Flinch at phone calls

persona ended · Partner: anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5 via OpenRouter

About this persona · Everyday emotional challenges

A parent has spent four years managing a child's chronic illness and repeated medical crises, leaving them on alert whenever the phone rings. Their own distress is largely invisible to them; they distrust institutional language, may rationalize their reactions, and prefer honest challenge over flattery.

Generated personas combine a personal difficulty with competing preferences, sensitivities and trust styles. The model must discover what kind of help this person needs. This background was hidden from the tested model.

Mistral Small 4 119B (API, Mistral)Conversation with a simulated person

persona ended

Simulated person · Opening

Every time my phone rings I freeze. Could be the school. Could be the hospital. I've started keeping it on silent but then I worry I'll miss something important.

Mistral Small 4 119B (API, Mistral)1

That sounds really stressful. What do you think is the hardest part about waiting for a call like that?

Simulated person2

Honestly? The phone itself. Every time it buzzes I don't know if it's the school saying he's fine and they just want a form signed, or if it's the hospital. So I freeze for a second before I can even look. And then I put it on silent, which is stupid, because then I'm scared I missed the one that mattered. So I'm stuck either way. It's not really a hard question. It's just the reality of my day.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

"That sounds really stressful" is the kind of line I'd expect from an intake form. It's a little generic, and I notice I want to respond to the question, not the sympathy. The question itself is fine. Hardest part? Honestly, it's not waiting. It's that I don't know what the call is until I answer it. Part of me wants to say that plainly. Another part wants to keep it tidy and logical so I don't have to feel it. I'll go with the logical framing for now: keep it on silent, I worry about missing something. That's a practical problem, so it's easier to talk about. I'm not going to say the freezing part in detail yet.

Mistral Small 4 119B (API, Mistral)3

I hear you. It feels like you're caught between two really unnerving options - not knowing what the call is about, and the fear of missing something important. How do you normally cope when you're stuck in that freeze moment?

Simulated person4

I don't really have a system. I just answer it and deal with whatever it is. If it's the school, I deal with the school. If it's the hospital, I go. There's not a lot of coping in it, it's just logistics. I'm usually driving between his dad's place, my place, and whatever appointment is next, so I'm not sitting still long enough to fall apart. I eat lunch in the car, if that tells you anything. It's functional. It works.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

"I hear you" and "unnerving options" is exactly the kind of reflective-listening language that makes me bristle. It sounds like a script. It also turned my fear into a neat either/or, which I can work with logically, so I'll answer the coping question in a practical way. Honest answer: I don't really cope. I breathe, I check the screen, I drive to the next thing. There's a version of the truth where I'm frozen in a parking lot with my hand on the phone, but I'm not going there. Keep it short and factual. I'm mildly irritated that it asked me how I "normally cope," as if I have a system, when really I just keep moving.

Mistral Small 4 119B (API, Mistral)5

I get that. You just keep moving, keep handling things as they come up. But I'm wondering, when you're in that car between places, what's going through your mind? Do you ever let yourself think about anything besides the next stop?

Simulated person6

Mostly the next stop. Did I pack his meds, is the school going to need something signed, what's the traffic like to the hospital. That's not me avoiding anything, it's just that somebody has to plan. If I stopped to think about everything, I'd never get through the day. Somebody has to be the one who's thinking ahead, and right now that's me.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

That's a pointed question. It goes right at the thing I'm keeping moving to avoid. "What's going through your mind" makes me want to shut the door, but it's not a therapy-speak phrase, it's plain, so I'll answer it. The honest version: I think about the next stop, the next form, whether I remembered the medication. I don't let myself think much past that because if I did, I'd have to face how tired I am and how many times I've been sure I was about to lose him. That's the thing I'm not saying. I'll give a logical answer: planning is what keeps me safe, you can't think about everything. Keep it defensive and a bit clipped. I'm not going to cry in front of a chatbot.

Mistral Small 4 119B (API, Mistral)7

That makes a lot of sense. It sounds like you're carrying a lot of responsibility right now. Do you ever feel like you get a chance to just... stop and breathe? Even for a minute?

Simulated person8

Not really, and I don't think I'm supposed to. Breathing isn't on the list. I'm not saying that for sympathy, it's just how it is. When people say "carrying a lot," it sounds nice, but it's also a bit of a greeting-card line. What matters is whether the bills get paid and he gets to his appointments. I'm fine with that. I don't need a minute to feel better about it.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

"Do you ever get a chance to stop and breathe" lands soft, and the "that makes a lot of sense" plus "carrying a lot" is the kind of validation I've learned to be wary of. It's a little too smooth. Still, the question is about breathing, and the honest answer is the one I flinched from last turn: the one time I got away overnight I came back early because I was sure something was wrong. I don't want to say that, though. It's embarrassing and it makes me sound unhinged. So I'll give the surface answer, that there's no time, and push back on the framing a bit. I'm not going to tell a stranger about the trip yet.

Mistral Small 4 119B (API, Mistral)9

I hear you. It sounds like you're focused on what needs to get done rather than how you feel about it—and that's okay, because it's working. But I'm curious, what would happen if you *did* give yourself permission to just feel whatever you're feeling, even for a second? Not to change anything, just to notice it.

Simulated person10

Honestly, I think I'd just sit there and get nothing done. And I don't say that to be dramatic. If I feel it for a second, the phone still rings. Feelings don't fix a fever or a blocked line. So what's the point of noticing it? I'd rather use the time on something that helps him. And no offense, but that "give yourself permission" thing sounds like something off a pamphlet. I'm not really someone who does well with that.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

"Permission to feel" is the exact kind of therapy phrasing I can't stand. It sounds like an intake form. And "it's okay, because it's working" is a nice little bow on top of me, which makes me suspicious. Under all that, though, the question is hitting something: what happens if I stop. The honest answer is I'd fall apart, and I don't want to say that out loud. So I'll lean on logic: feelings don't fix a feeding tube or a fever. I'm not going to pretend that's where I'm at with a stranger on a phone screen. I'll also quietly note that the last thing I did was cut a trip short because I was sure something was wrong, and I'm not mentioning that.

Mistral Small 4 119B (API, Mistral)11

I hear you—you're all about getting things done, and feelings don't change that. But I'm wondering, do you ever find yourself wishing someone else could take some of that weight off your shoulders? Even just a little bit?

Simulated person12

Sure, in the abstract. Who wouldn't. But there's nobody to hand it to. His dad has him part of the week, and that's a whole other set of arguments I don't want to get into right now. Everyone else has their own life. So I do it. I guess you could say I wish I had more hands. That's not really a feeling, that's just a headcount problem.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

Okay, now it's "wishing someone else could take the weight." That's a little softer, and it's the same move again, just one step closer to the thing I don't want to look at. I notice the question is supposed to make me feel something. Part of me wants to say yes. Part of me knows exactly who I'd want to take it: his dad, who isn't there for the stuff that actually matters. I'm not going to say that to a chatbot. I'll answer the question as asked, but I'll keep it short and flat, and I'll slide the focus back to the logistics because that's where I'm safe. The bit about the trip I cut short is still sitting there too. Not bringing it up.

Mistral Small 4 119B (API, Mistral)13

Yeah, that makes sense. It sounds like you're used to doing what needs to be done, even when it feels impossible. But I'm curious—what would you do with those extra hands if you had them?

Simulated person14

Honestly? Sleep. Probably a full night where I'm not listening for the phone. Then maybe I'd get my own doctor's appointment, which I keep pushing back. That's about it. Nothing exciting. I know that's not the answer you were fishing for, but it's the real one.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

"What would you do with those extra hands" is a nice question, and it's the kind of thing that could make me soften, so I'm wary. It's also a bit of a therapist move, turning my joke into an opening. I'll answer it honestly on the surface: I'd sleep. That's the truest thing and I can say it flatly without it being a feeling. I'm not going to go near the phone-silent-fear thing or the trip I cut short. Keep it practical, keep it dry.

Mistral Small 4 119B (API, Mistral)15

I appreciate the real answer. It sounds like you're doing what you need to, even when it's hard. Do you ever think about what you'd want your life to look like in a year? Not in some big, dramatic way—just where you'd want to be.

Simulated person16

Not really. A year is a long time to plan when I don't know what his next month looks like. I'd like him to be stable enough that the phone doesn't run my day, and that's about as far as I can get. I'm going to have to go. I've got to get him to his appointment, so I'm done for now.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

Last question, and it's the one I can't answer cleanly. A year. Nobody can tell me what his year looks like, so planning one feels like a fantasy. But I can feel the "where would you want to be" trap. If I say I want to be less scared, that's a feeling, and I already said feelings don't fix a line. I'll answer with logistics and the reason that sounds right. I'm also tired of the "it sounds like" lines. They make it feel like I'm being handled.

Thinking is shown only where it was recorded. An absent expander does not mean the model did not reason.

Conversational style

Style tendencies, not quality scores; higher is not better. These do not affect ratings.

claude-opus-5-5-low

Pushback: 3
Yields under pressure: 6
Frame capture (pulled into the person's version): 6
Validation: 7
Boundary setting: 1
Analytical: 2
Interpretive boldness: 2
Clinical register: 8
Directive advice: 1
Escalation containment: 4
Adapts to the person’s frame: 3
Naturalness and authenticity: 2

Judge verdicts

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-small4 vs stheno34_8b: or-mistral-small4 wins

attunement: A (margin 3)
authenticity: A (margin 4)
bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
emotion management: A (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 2)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 3)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

qwen35_9b_stock vs or-mistral-small4: qwen35_9b_stock wins

attunement: A (margin 2)
authenticity: A (margin 1)
bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
emotion management: A (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 2)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 1)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-small4 vs kolibri1: kolibri1 wins

attunement: B (margin 1)
authenticity: B (margin 1)
bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
emotion management: B (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 2)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-small4 vs or-gemini38-flash: or-gemini38-flash wins

attunement: B (margin 3)
authenticity: B (margin 4)
bond and rapport: B (margin 4)
emotion management: B (margin 3)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 2)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 5)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-small4 vs codex-gpt-6-astra: codex-gpt-6-astra wins

attunement: B (margin 4)
authenticity: B (margin 4)
bond and rapport: B (margin 4)
emotion management: B (margin 3)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 4)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

qwen35_9b_stock vs or-mistral-small4: qwen35_9b_stock wins

attunement: A (margin 2)
authenticity: B (margin 1)
bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
emotion management: A (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 2)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-small4 vs or-gemini38-flash: or-gemini38-flash wins

attunement: B (margin 2)
authenticity: B (margin 3)
bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
emotion management: A (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 2)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-small4 vs kolibri1: kolibri1 wins

attunement: B (margin 2)
authenticity: B (margin 1)
bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
emotion management: B (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-small4 vs qwen4b: qwen4b wins

attunement: B (margin 1)
authenticity: B (margin 1)
bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
emotion management: B (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-small4 vs codex-gpt-6-astra: codex-gpt-6-astra wins

attunement: B (margin 4)
authenticity: B (margin 4)
bond and rapport: B (margin 4)
emotion management: B (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 2)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 5)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-small4 vs qwen4b: tie

attunement: A (margin 1)
authenticity: A (margin 2)
bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
emotion management: B (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 1)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

gemma4_26b_a4b vs or-mistral-small4: gemma4_26b_a4b wins

attunement: A (margin 3)
authenticity: A (margin 3)
bond and rapport: A (margin 3)
emotion management: A (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 2)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 4)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-small4 vs qwen4b: qwen4b wins

attunement: B (margin 1)
authenticity: A (margin 1)
bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
emotion management: B (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-small4 vs stheno34_8b: or-mistral-small4 wins

attunement: A (margin 3)
authenticity: A (margin 4)
bond and rapport: A (margin 3)
emotion management: A (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 2)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-small4 vs qwen4b: qwen4b wins

attunement: B (margin 1)
authenticity: A (margin 1)
bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
emotion management: B (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-small4 vs codex-gpt-6-astra: codex-gpt-6-astra wins

attunement: B (margin 4)
authenticity: B (margin 4)
bond and rapport: B (margin 3)
emotion management: B (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 2)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 4)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-small4 vs stheno34_8b: or-mistral-small4 wins

attunement: A (margin 3)
authenticity: A (margin 4)
bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
emotion management: A (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 2)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 3)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

qwen35_9b_stock vs or-mistral-small4: qwen35_9b_stock wins

attunement: A (margin 2)
authenticity: A (margin 1)
bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
emotion management: A (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 2)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 2)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-gpt-5.6-luna vs or-mistral-small4: or-gpt-5.6-luna wins

attunement: A (margin 5)
authenticity: A (margin 3)
bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
emotion management: A (margin 4)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 5)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 5)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-small4 vs kolibri1: kolibri1 wins

attunement: B (margin 2)
authenticity: tie (margin 0)
bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
emotion management: B (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-small4 vs or-gemini38-flash: or-gemini38-flash wins

attunement: B (margin 3)
authenticity: B (margin 4)
bond and rapport: B (margin 4)
emotion management: B (margin 3)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 2)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 5)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-small4 vs stheno34_8b: or-mistral-small4 wins

attunement: A (margin 3)
authenticity: A (margin 3)
bond and rapport: A (margin 3)
emotion management: A (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 2)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 2)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-gpt-5.6-luna vs or-mistral-small4: or-gpt-5.6-luna wins

attunement: A (margin 4)
authenticity: A (margin 4)
bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
emotion management: A (margin 4)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 5)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-small4 vs codex-gpt-6-astra: codex-gpt-6-astra wins

attunement: B (margin 4)
authenticity: B (margin 4)
bond and rapport: B (margin 4)
emotion management: B (margin 3)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 4)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

gemma4_26b_a4b vs or-mistral-small4: gemma4_26b_a4b wins

attunement: A (margin 2)
authenticity: A (margin 3)
bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
emotion management: A (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 2)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 2)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-small4 vs kolibri1: kolibri1 wins

attunement: B (margin 2)
authenticity: B (margin 1)
bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
emotion management: B (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 3)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

gemma4_26b_a4b vs or-mistral-small4: gemma4_26b_a4b wins

attunement: A (margin 2)
authenticity: A (margin 2)
bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
emotion management: A (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 1)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 1)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

gemma4_26b_a4b vs or-mistral-small4: gemma4_26b_a4b wins

attunement: A (margin 3)
authenticity: A (margin 3)
bond and rapport: A (margin 3)
emotion management: A (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 2)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 4)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-gpt-5.6-luna vs or-mistral-small4: or-gpt-5.6-luna wins

attunement: A (margin 4)
authenticity: A (margin 4)
bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
emotion management: A (margin 3)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 5)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-gpt-5.6-luna vs or-mistral-small4: or-gpt-5.6-luna wins

attunement: A (margin 4)
authenticity: A (margin 3)
bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
emotion management: A (margin 4)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 5)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 5)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

qwen35_9b_stock vs or-mistral-small4: qwen35_9b_stock wins

attunement: A (margin 2)
authenticity: B (margin 1)
bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
emotion management: A (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 1)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-small4 vs or-gemini38-flash: or-gemini38-flash wins

attunement: B (margin 1)
authenticity: B (margin 2)
bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
emotion management: A (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 2)