Linguistic Markers of Psychological Change Surrounding September 11, 2001

@article{Cohn2004LinguisticMO,
  title={Linguistic Markers of Psychological Change Surrounding September 11, 2001},
  author={Michael A. Cohn and Matthias R. Mehl and James W. Pennebaker},
  journal={Psychological Science},
  year={2004},
  volume={15},
  pages={687 - 693}
}
The diaries of 1,084 U.S. users of an on-line journaling service were downloaded for a period of 4 months spanning the 2 months prior to and after the September 11 attacks. Linguistic analyses of the journal entries revealed pronounced psychological changes in response to the attacks. In the short term, participants expressed more negative emotions, were more cognitively and socially engaged, and wrote with greater psychological distance. After 2 weeks, their moods and social referencing… 
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