OVERVIEW
- April 1: More empathy and prosocial expressions on Twitter
- March 30: Apps can support people in dealing with emotions in times of crisis
- March 24: Expressions of anxiety in Tweets (GB, FR, GER, ES, USA)
- March 19: Expressions of anxiety and concern in Tweets (Italy & Austria)
APRIL 1, 2020
NOT ONLY ANXIETY, ALSO PROSOCIAL EMOTIONS ARE ON THE RISE
In times of (corona) crisis not only expressions of concern and anxiety are increasing on Twitter. People also express more often empathy and the readiness to support and cooperate with each other. Crises seem to support prosocial behaviour, found Hannah Metzler and David Garcia together with Bernard Rimé.
However, the scientists found differences from country to country. One possible explanation is that people who have already learned a lot about the developments of the pandemic in other countries are more likely to express compassion.
THE FOLLOWING FIGURES SHOW THE VARIATION IN PROSOCIAL EXPRESSIONS ON TWITTER SINCE JANUARY 1, 2020.
In Italy, expressions of prosociality became more frequent after February 29. The strongest increase occurred when the nationwide quarantine and calls for donations to hospitals were announced.
In Austria, tweets referring to prosocial behavior became more frequent after February 27, before the start of general social distancing measures.
It is likely that the increase is due to the fact that people already knew a lot about the situation in Italy. Aside from that, the Austrian government put right from the beginning a great emphasis on communicating that people should support each other, for instance by protecting their own grandparents.
The scientific analysis about prosocial emotions in times of the corona crisis can be found on our new COVID-19 Info Point.
MARCH 30, 2020
APPS SUPPORT PEOPLE IN DEALING WITH EMOTIONS IN TIMES OF CRISES
An analysis of data from the American health app Youper shows that well designed, scientifically supported apps can help people to better deal with their emotions in times of crisis.
FIND THE WHOLE STORY HERE.
MARCH 24, 2020
EMOTIONS IN GB, FR, GER, ES, USA
Our scientists were tracing expressions of concern, anxiety and fear in the tweets of several more countries: United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, USA.
Read here how to interpret the tables.
FOR MORE DETAILS, PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK.
EMOTIONS IN GREAT BRITAIN
EMOTIONS IN FRANCE
EMOTIONS IN GERMANY
EMOTIONS IN SPAIN
EMOTIONS IN THE US
MARCH 19, 2020
ESPRESSIONS OF ANXIETY IN TWEETS
Knowing how people are feeling can help decision-makers to check the acceptance of their measures and to correctly assess the level of concern in the population.
Our social media analysis shows how far-reaching events influence people’s feelings.
The graph shows the number of tweets in Italy containing expressions of concern, anxiety and fear.
EMOTIONS IN ITALY
The green line marks the first confirmed case of coronavirus infection in Italy on January 31, 2020.
The orange line shows the first case of death by COVID on February 22.
The turquoise line shows the imposition of a nationwide quarantine on March 9.
Clearly visible is the sharp increase in concern surrounding these events.
EMOTIONS IN AUSTRIA
