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posted by cmn32480 on Saturday November 26 2016, @01:13PM   Printer-friendly
from the beat-it-dog-breath dept.

Although recent election coverage may suggest otherwise, research shows that people are more likely to use positive words than negative words on the whole in their communications. Behavioral scientists have extensively documented this phenomenon, known as language positivity bias (LPB), in a number of different languages. However, a new study conducted by researchers at USC Dornsife and the University of Michigan, suggests that our tendency to use positive language has been on the decline in the United States over the past 200 years.

While LPB is well-established, there has been little consensus on what mechanisms are responsible for the effect. Previous studies, which looked at language as static, have proposed that LPB is due to subjective moods, objective circumstances or social influences.

But in a study published on Nov. 21 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers took a new approach to measuring LPB by looking at the fluctuation of the ratio of positive words to negative words used over time in American English.


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  • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 26 2016, @02:04PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 26 2016, @02:04PM (#433206)

    Positive Language is On the Decline in the United States

    I find your ideas depressing and would like to unsubscribe from your newsletter.

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