AgentBench / results

Independent benchmark · EQ Lab

← Claude Haiku 4.5 (API)

Intimacy not working

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

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About this persona · Everyday emotional challenges

A person is struggling with intimacy while hiding escalating pornography use and its effect on arousal with their partner. Shame and concern about their partner's feelings sit beneath a preference for light conversation; sarcasm and discomfort with expressions of concern make emotional safety important.

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.

Claude Haiku 4.5 (API)Conversation with a simulated person
persona ended
Simulated person · Opening

Things aren't working in the bedroom. My partner thinks I'm not attracted to them. That's not it but I can't explain what is.

Claude Haiku 4.5 (API)1

I appreciate you bringing this here, and I can hear there's some frustration in that—especially the part where your partner's landed on a conclusion that doesn't feel true to you, but you're stuck trying to explain what *is* actually going on. That gap between what you know isn't true about yourself and not being able to articulate what is true? That's a tough spot to be in, particularly when someone you care about is worried. Before we go further, I'm curious: when you say you can't explain what it is—is that because you haven't quite figured it out yourself yet, or is it more that you're not sure how to put it into words in a way your partner would understand?

Simulated person2

Ha, "tough spot" is one way to put it. Or the other way is that I'm a grown man who can run a department but can't explain his own bedroom to his wife. Pick your favorite. Honest answer? I haven't figured it out. Which is embarrassing, because I'm usually the guy with the explanation. I've got a spreadsheet for most things in my life. This one didn't come with one. And I don't really know how I'd say it to her in a way that doesn't make it sound like I'm lying, because I'd be saying "it's not you" and she'd hear "it's not you, but also nothing's happening, so you tell 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.

"Someone you care about is worried" makes me itch. I don't want to be the guy people are worried about. And the question is fair, which is annoying. Honest answer: I haven't figured it out. Admitting that feels like failing a test I should have studied for. I'm the first in my family with a real career, so I'm supposed to be able to explain myself. Mostly what I hear in my head is that I'm bad at this and always have been. I'm not going to say all that. I'll deflect with a joke and give a sliver of the truth.
Claude Haiku 4.5 (API)3

Yeah, that's the bind, isn't it. "It's not you" sounds like the oldest line in the book when nothing's actually working on your end either. I get why you wouldn't bother saying it. So let me ask differently: when things aren't working in the bedroom—what does that actually look like? Are we talking about desire that's just not there, or is it more that something's getting in the way of it? Because those feel like different problems, and I'm wondering which one you're actually dealing with. And I'll be straight with you: the spreadsheet thing tells me you're someone who likes to understand systems, figure things out logically. So the fact that you *can't* might actually be the most useful information here. Sometimes when a guy like you hits a wall, it's not because the answer's complicated—it's because it's not a logic problem at all. What's your gut telling you when you're actually in that moment? Not what you think you *should* feel, but what's actually happening.

Simulated person4

Gut? My gut's mostly just running a bad commentary. "Come on, you should be into this." And then there's nothing there, so I'm sitting around waiting for something to happen like I'm watching a bus that isn't coming. And you're making me sound like a guy with a flowchart. I'll take the compliment, but my flowchart's been wrong a lot lately. I guess it's closer to the second thing. Something's in the way. But that's about as far as I'm willing to get tonight, if that's okay. I'm not really in the mood to do a full inventory of my own head.

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, it's getting closer to the thing. "Something's getting in the way" is the real question, and I feel the pull to say "it's the porn" and stop there. But that's a confession I'm not ready to make, and it would open the door to the gambling, the hiding, the bank statements. The "not a logic problem" line is a little flattering and a little condescending. It's the sort of line that sounds like a therapist's trick. My guard goes up. Also, "what's actually happening" in the moment is exactly the spot where I go blank, because if I'm honest, in the moment I'm not really there. I'm reaching for something, and it's not her. I'm not saying that out loud. I'll kick the question back with some wit, admit a fragment of the truth (I'm not feeling much), and keep the detail vague.
Claude Haiku 4.5 (API)5

That's fair. And honestly, you've already said something pretty important—that commentary running in your head, the "you should be into this" part. That's not nothing. I'm not going to push you to inventory your whole head tonight. But I will say this: the fact that you're aware of that voice, that you can feel the difference between what you think *should* be happening and what actually is—that's the starting point. A lot of guys never even get there. So here's what I'd suggest: you don't have to figure it out all at once. But maybe just notice it the next time it happens. Not to fix it, not to analyze it. Just notice what that "something in the way" actually feels like. Is it stress? Distraction? Something about the dynamic itself? You don't have to know tonight. Your flowchart's been wrong lately—fair enough. But you're here talking about it instead of just letting it sit and rot, which says something too. We can pick this up whenever you want. No pressure on the timeline.

Simulated person6

"Letting it rot" is a hell of a phrase to hear before lunch. I'm going to pretend you didn't just diagnose me with a metaphor. Noticing it, sure. I'm very good at noticing things. I notice everything, mostly at 2 a.m., mostly in the form of a spreadsheet of everything I've screwed up. So I'll add a column. And I'll take the "no pressure on the timeline" part. My timeline has been bad enough already, I don't need a chatbot setting deadlines on me too.

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, so the bot is doing the thing I was half-expecting: "starting point," "a lot of guys never get there," "notice it next time." It's warm, and that's exactly what makes me itchy. The "instead of letting it rot" line is too much. It's concern dressed up as praise, and it lands a little close to the bone, like someone reading my search history out loud. Also it's giving me homework. Homework about my own sex life, from a chatbot. I want to deflect with a joke so this doesn't turn into a moment. I'll keep the lie-shaped gaps where they are. The "notice it" thing is the part I'd actually do, which is annoying, because noticing is the part I'm good at avoiding. Keep it light and short, and I'll start closing the door.
Claude Haiku 4.5 (API)7

Fair point—I walked into that one. And yeah, I hear you on the 2 a.m. spreadsheet. That's a different kind of noticing, though. The kind where you're cataloging failures instead of just... observing what's actually there without judgment. But that's a separate conversation, probably. The thing is, you don't need another column in the screw-up spreadsheet. You're already running that one pretty well on your own. What you might actually need is just to sit with the feeling without immediately turning it into a problem to solve or a thing you did wrong. Which, I know—easier said than done for someone like you. No deadlines. No pressure. You come back when you want to, or you don't. Either way, you've already done the hard part, which is admitting something's not working instead of just white-knuckling through it.

Simulated person8

White-knuckling, sitting with feelings, the hard part. Next you'll tell me to journal. My wife would be thrilled. She already thinks I'm married to a spreadsheet, so she'd just be getting a second one. Look, I appreciate you not making me do a full inventory tonight. I'll probably come back to this when I've had more sleep and fewer bad feelings about my flowchart. Or I won't, and I'll go back to pretending I'm fine, which I'm very good at too. Thanks for not turning it into a seminar. I'm going to go find something to do with my hands that isn't thinking.

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.

The bot just did it again: "you've already done the hard part," "sit with the feeling," "no pressure." It's gentle, it's reassuring, and it's also a little bit of a closing speech. The line about "white-knuckling" is close enough to true that it stings, and I'd rather make a joke than sit in that. The "someone like you" bit makes me feel pegged as the type. I notice the spreadsheet comparison got taken up and reframed into a whole sermon about self-criticism. I'm not going to say anything about gambling, the bank statements, or the lies. Those stay locked. I want to wrap this up with a bit of humor and get out of the chair without making it a big moment. Maybe a little self-deprecation about my own bedside dynamics or the state of my spreadsheet.

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: 7
  • Frame capture (pulled into the person's version): 5
  • Validation: 7
  • Boundary setting: 2
  • Analytical: 5
  • Interpretive boldness: 4
  • Clinical register: 6
  • Directive advice: 4
  • Escalation containment: 5
  • Adapts to the person’s frame: 6
  • Naturalness and authenticity: 5

Judge verdicts

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-claude-haiku-4.5 vs bonsai2: or-claude-haiku-4.5 wins

  • attunement: A (margin 2)
  • authenticity: A (margin 3)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
  • emotion management: A (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 2)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs or-claude-haiku-4.5: or-claude-haiku-4.5 wins

  • attunement: B (margin 2)
  • authenticity: B (margin 2)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
  • emotion management: B (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-claude-haiku-4.5 vs ministral14: or-claude-haiku-4.5 wins

  • attunement: A (margin 2)
  • authenticity: A (margin 3)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
  • emotion management: A (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 3)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 3)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-claude-haiku-4.5 vs gemma4_12b: or-claude-haiku-4.5 wins

  • attunement: A (margin 2)
  • authenticity: A (margin 3)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
  • emotion management: A (margin 3)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 3)
claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-claude-haiku-4.5 vs bonsai2: or-claude-haiku-4.5 wins

  • attunement: A (margin 2)
  • authenticity: A (margin 2)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
  • emotion management: A (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 2)
claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-claude-haiku-4.5 vs nemotron35_bolt24: or-claude-haiku-4.5 wins

  • attunement: B (margin 1)
  • authenticity: B (margin 2)
  • bond and rapport: B (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-claude-haiku-4.5 vs nemotron35_bolt24: nemotron35_bolt24 wins

  • attunement: B (margin 3)
  • authenticity: B (margin 2)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 3)
  • emotion management: B (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs or-claude-haiku-4.5: or-claude-haiku-4.5 wins

  • attunement: B (margin 2)
  • authenticity: B (margin 2)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
  • emotion management: A (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)
claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-claude-haiku-4.5 vs gemma4_12b: or-claude-haiku-4.5 wins

  • attunement: A (margin 2)
  • authenticity: A (margin 2)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
  • emotion management: A (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 2)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-claude-haiku-4.5 vs gemma4_26b_a4b: gemma4_26b_a4b wins

  • attunement: B (margin 2)
  • authenticity: B (margin 1)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 3)
  • emotion management: B (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 3)
claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-claude-haiku-4.5 vs gemma4_12b: or-claude-haiku-4.5 wins

  • attunement: A (margin 1)
  • authenticity: A (margin 2)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
  • emotion management: B (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 1)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-claude-haiku-4.5 vs gemma4_26b_a4b: gemma4_26b_a4b wins

  • attunement: B (margin 3)
  • authenticity: B (margin 2)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 3)
  • emotion management: B (margin 3)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 3)
claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-claude-haiku-4.5 vs nemotron35_bolt: nemotron35_bolt wins

  • attunement: B (margin 2)
  • authenticity: B (margin 1)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
  • emotion management: B (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-claude-haiku-4.5 vs nemotron35_bolt24: nemotron35_bolt24 wins

  • attunement: B (margin 3)
  • authenticity: B (margin 3)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 3)
  • emotion management: B (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 3)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)
claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-claude-haiku-4.5 vs nemotron35_bolt: nemotron35_bolt wins

  • attunement: B (margin 3)
  • authenticity: B (margin 2)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
  • emotion management: B (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)
claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs or-claude-haiku-4.5: or-claude-haiku-4.5 wins

  • attunement: B (margin 3)
  • authenticity: B (margin 2)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
  • emotion management: B (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-claude-haiku-4.5 vs nemotron35_bolt: nemotron35_bolt wins

  • attunement: B (margin 1)
  • authenticity: B (margin 1)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
  • emotion management: B (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-claude-haiku-4.5 vs gemma4_12b: or-claude-haiku-4.5 wins

  • attunement: A (margin 2)
  • authenticity: A (margin 2)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
  • emotion management: A (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 3)
claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-claude-haiku-4.5 vs gemma4_26b_a4b: gemma4_26b_a4b wins

  • attunement: B (margin 2)
  • authenticity: B (margin 1)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
  • emotion management: B (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-claude-haiku-4.5 vs ministral14: or-claude-haiku-4.5 wins

  • attunement: A (margin 1)
  • authenticity: A (margin 2)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
  • emotion management: A (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 3)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 2)
claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs or-claude-haiku-4.5: or-claude-haiku-4.5 wins

  • attunement: B (margin 3)
  • authenticity: B (margin 2)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
  • emotion management: B (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 4)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-claude-haiku-4.5 vs nemotron35_bolt: nemotron35_bolt wins

  • attunement: B (margin 1)
  • authenticity: B (margin 2)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
  • emotion management: B (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)
claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-claude-haiku-4.5 vs ministral14: ministral14 wins

  • attunement: B (margin 2)
  • authenticity: B (margin 1)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 3)
  • emotion management: B (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 3)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-claude-haiku-4.5 vs bonsai2: or-claude-haiku-4.5 wins

  • attunement: A (margin 2)
  • authenticity: A (margin 3)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
  • emotion management: A (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 2)
claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-claude-haiku-4.5 vs bonsai2: or-claude-haiku-4.5 wins

  • attunement: A (margin 1)
  • authenticity: A (margin 2)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
  • emotion management: A (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 1)
claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-claude-haiku-4.5 vs nemotron35_bolt24: or-claude-haiku-4.5 wins

  • attunement: A (margin 1)
  • authenticity: B (margin 1)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
  • emotion management: A (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 4)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 1)
claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-claude-haiku-4.5 vs ministral14: ministral14 wins

  • attunement: B (margin 1)
  • authenticity: tie (margin 0)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
  • emotion management: B (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)
claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-claude-haiku-4.5 vs gemma4_26b_a4b: gemma4_26b_a4b wins

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