Devastating heat waves and heavy rain showers are real mood killers. This is shown by a comprehensive analysis of Twitter conversations as part of a study led by researchers at Columbia University and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development . It serves to understand how climate change affects mental health worldwide.
Global phenomenon
Researchers examined nearly 7.7 billion localized tweets from 190 countries between 2015 and 2021 and analyzed how positive and negative expressions change during extreme heat and rainfall compared to more typical weather. They found an increase in negative expressions and a decrease in positive expressions in bad weather. To measure sentiment in 13 languages, the experts used dictionaries to rate linguistic phrases as positive or negative.
In 2021, according to the study's tweet analysis, the negative mood skyrocketed and the good mood plummeted. A historic heat wave in the northwestern United States and southwestern Canada left over a thousand dead. Meanwhile, negative sentiment on Twitter increased nearly tenfold compared to average heat waves in the US.
Scientists see their results as a warning that people may have problems adapting to climate change. However, the situation is not yet dramatic: “At the moment we see very little evidence that these new extreme events occurring around the world are having an impact on people’s mood,” explains lead author Kelton Minor. He recently presented the study at the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union.
Growing climate fear
However, there is also research about growing climate anxiety as the environmental consequences of burning fossil fuels worsen. Other studies have already linked increasing heat and more hospitalizations to mental health and suicide risk. It is said that due to climate change, people will have to adapt to more extremes. There are studies predicting more record-breaking heat waves and destructive storms. Minor and his colleagues want to continue tracking related sentiment trends on social media.
Source:
Press release
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