Psychologists are currently exploring what our social media publications can say about our inner world.
The author Olga Khazan, in a report published by the magazine "Atlantic" American, that some people consider the publication on social media is just as spontaneous breathing. At lunchtime, for example, you can show your last salad at the restaurant next to your home.
Over time, all Facebook posts, Instagram comments, and Twitter tweets have become a treasure trove of human thoughts and feelings. People rarely take a look at their previously published thoughts, but if their posts are publicly available, then they may be Ready for analysis.
Some psychologists use algorithms to figure out exactly what we mean by these expressions that were written quickly and without in-depth thinking.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania analyzed 400 million tweets published by people in Pennsylvania from 2012 to 2016, compiling Twitter posts for users whose tweets contained at least five references to the term "single," according to a study by the medical journal BMG Open. , And compared it to a control group of a similar population.
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In this context, the researchers note that only people use the oath or the right intensely when talking about the problems of their relationship, needs and feelings, where they were more expressive feelings of anxiety or anger and reference to drugs and alcohol. They also showed that they had difficulty falling asleep and often published their writing at night.
This study was far from an ideal window that looked at the lives of Twitter users. Certainly, people can talk about their needs and feelings without feeling lonely. But natural language processing makes it easy for scientists to understand the nature of the different emotions that are common on the Internet.
In recent years, researchers have used social media data to predict users with depression and those who are particularly happy. As analysis tools become more sophisticated, a wide range of emotions and mental health disorder can now be predicted using the words people write in their phones and computers every day.
In some cases, researchers can discover subtle differences in unclear emotions, such as feelings of empathy, the author said. In this regard, there is an old and common idea in psychology that speaks of two types of empathy: "useful" empathy, or pity, which is empathy for someone and trying to help him. In contrast, "exhausted" empathy requires a sense of real pain because someone feels the pain and suffering.
Based on a scientific report that is still under review, another group of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania analyzed the language used in social media to determine how these two types of empathy are expressed. They found that people who show compassion tend to say things like "blessed", "wonderful", "prayers" or "family." Those who express exhausted empathy use words such as "I", "I feel", "myself" and "absolutely".
simple difference
This may seem a little different, but according to one of the study's authors, Lill Ungar said, understanding the difference between the two can help people with care functions such as doctors, understand the nature of their feelings and determine when their sympathy is counterproductive. .
According to Ungar, exhausted empathy can lead to exhaustion. "I can really care for you without being affected by your suffering," he said. .
The language analysis technique may highlight more serious issues. It may one day be used to predict psychosis and mental disorders in bipolar or schizophrenic patients. Episodes of psychosis can be shortened, lost contact with reality, or even stopped if detected early enough, as it is difficult for people with psychosis to recognize that they have these diseases.
Last month, researchers from the Northwall Health Center and the Georgia Technical Institute analyzed 52,815 Facebook posts for 51 patients who had recently suffered from psychosis. They found that the language patients used on Facebook was significantly different from the language used during the month prior to hallucinations and disorders.
As their symptoms worsened, they were more likely to use the oath, or use words related to the dictionary of anger or death, and were less likely to use words related to work, friends or health. In addition, they used first-person pronouns, a possible sign of so-called "self-referential thinking," the study authors said.
Currently, our doctors may infer a lot about our mental states, our underlying feelings and our subconscious minds through our random updates on social media. In fact, the recipient of social media may be the average user, as it is rarely admitted in any tweet that he is alone. Instead, a glimpse of our deepest online desires over time would provide us with clues to our deeper subconscious feelings.