ArticleAffective science2023
The Promise of Affective Language for Identifying and Intervening on Psychopathology.
Article in Affective science, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed.
- Cognitive modeling of real-world behavior for understanding mental health.Trends in cognitive sciences · 2026Review
- Language-based assessments can predict psychological and subjective well-being.Communications psychology · 2026Article
- Interpretable depression assessment using a large language model.PLOS digital health · 2026Article
- Positive and Negative Sentiment in Social Media Direct Messages Predicts Negative Emotion Differentiation Among Adolescents.Affective science · 2025Article
- Using natural language processing to identify patterns associated with depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic.Journal of affective disorders · 2025Article
- Emotion Regulation is Associated with Increases in Linguistic Measures of Both Psychological Distancing and Abstractness.Affective science · 2025Article
- Emotion regulation elicits cross-linguistically shared and language-specific forms of linguistic distancing.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Language sentiment predicts changes in depressive symptoms.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2024Article
- A Louder Call for the Integration of Multiple Nonverbal Channels in the Study of Affect.Affective science · 2024Article
- Affectivism and the Emotional Elephant: How a Componential Approach Can Reconcile Opposing Theories to Serve the Future of Affective Sciences.Affective science · 2024Article
- The Future of Affective Science: Introduction to the Special Issue.Affective science · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
1 author.
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Abstract
We are in dire need of innovative tools for reducing the global burden of psychopathology. Emerging evidence suggests that analyzing language (i.e., the words people use) can grant insight into an individual's emotional experiences, their ability to regulate their emotions, and even their current experiences of psychopathology. As such, linguistic analyses of people's everyday word use may be a diagnostic marker of emotional well-being, and manipulating the words people use could foster adaptive emotion regulation and mental health. Given the ubiquity of language in everyday life, such language-based tools for measuring and intervening in emotion and mental health can advance how we identify and treat mental illnesses at a large scale. In this paper, I outline the promise of this approach and identify key problems we must solve if we are to make it a reality. In particular, I summarize evidence connecting language, emotion, and mental health for three key constructs: sentiment (i.e., the valence of one's language), linguistic distancing (i.e., using language to separate oneself from distressing stimuli), and emotion differentiation (i.e., using words to specifically identify one's emotions). I also identify open questions in need of attention for each of these constructs and this area of research as a whole. Overall, I believe the future is bright for the application of psycholinguistic approaches to mental health detection and intervention.
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Registered trials
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