Chronic Self-Focused Discussion Could Indicate Potential Risk of Emotional Distress
New Study Suggests Frequent Use of First-Person Pronouns Indicates Emotional Distress, Not Narcissism
A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Arizona has found that the frequent use of first-person singular pronouns (I, me, and my) may signal emotional distress rather than narcissism. The study, which will appear in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, was reported by EurekAlert.
Dr. Matthias Mehl, a co-author of the study and a professor at the University of Arizona, stated that if I-talk reflects the tendency to experience negative effect, then the expressions may suggest a broader risk factor for a variety of mental health concerns. Allison Tackman, the lead author of the new study, added that I-talk could point to depression, but it could also indicate anxiety or other negative emotions.
Tackman and her co-authors found that I-talk shouldn't be considered a marker for depression alone, but for a tendency to experience negative affect more broadly. The relationship between I-talk and negative emotionality is comparable to the relationship between negative emotionality and negative emotion words such as "sad," "unhappy," "hate," and "dislike."
The study found a greater connection between high levels of I-talk and a psychological disposition of negative emotionality in general. The researchers who investigated the relationship between frequent self-talking and negative emotional disposition were affiliated with institutes that are not specified in the provided search results.
The average person speaks approximately 16,000 words a day, with about 1,400 of those being first-person singular pronouns. Individuals prone to distress may use first-person singular pronouns up to 2,000 times a day. The relationship between I-talk and negative emotionality, while present, is relatively small but is still considered meaningful.
The communication context does influence the relationship between I-talk and negative emotionality. In personal contexts, the relationship emerges, but in impersonal contexts, it does not. Frequent use of the subjective first-person pronoun "I" and the objective first-person pronoun "me" are linked to negative emotionality. However, the researchers found that frequent use of the first-person possessive pronoun "my" is not linked to negative emotionality.
The study was based on a large dataset of more than 4,700 individuals from six labs in two countries, the U.S. and Germany. Gender does not play a significant role in the relationship between I-talk and negative emotionality. The data included measures of individuals' use of I-talk, either in written or spoken tasks, as well as measures of depression and negative emotionality.
The study's findings suggest that I-talk may not be very good at assessing depression in particular, but it may be better at assessing a proneness to negative emotionality more broadly. If I-talk reflects the tendency to experience negative effect, then the expressions may suggest a broader risk factor for a variety of mental health concerns. The relationship between I-talk and negative emotionality is comparable to the relationship between negative emotionality and negative emotion words such as "sad," "unhappy," "hate," and "dislike."
The communication context does influence the relationship between I-talk and negative emotionality. In personal contexts, the relationship emerges, but in impersonal contexts, it does not. Frequent use of the subjective first-person pronoun "I" and the objective first-person pronoun "me" are linked to negative emotionality. However, the researchers found that frequent use of the first-person possessive pronoun "my" is not linked to negative emotionality.
In conclusion, the study suggests that frequent use of first-person singular pronouns may indicate emotional distress rather than narcissism. The relationship between I-talk and negative emotionality is present but relatively small. The study findings are based on a large dataset of more than 4,700 individuals from six labs in two countries, the U.S. and Germany. Gender does not play a significant role in the relationship between I-talk and negative emotionality. The study's findings may have implications for mental health assessments and interventions.
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