The Scientific Revolution in Linguistics: Vermont Researchers Disprove 70-Year-Old Emotion Model

According to НВ — Техно: Mathematicians and linguists from the University of Vermont presented a study in Science Advances that puts an end to the three-dimensional VAD model of emotions (valence, arousal, dominance), which has been in use since the 1950s. The specialists processed billions of words from various texts, including the English version of Victor Hugo's novel "Les Misérables". As a result, a new concept called "uzio-metrics" emerged, based on three coordinates: Strength, Danger, and Structure. This model is capable of explaining over 90% of language variations, while the old VAD model only accounted for 72%.

To test the hypothesis, the Vermont team analyzed a dataset of more than 20,000 words. Project leader Peter Dodds emphasized:

"The so-called optimistic shift is merely a one-dimensional projection of a deep yearning for safety."

Funding for the work was provided by the National Science Foundation and Google. The study also provided a new explanation for the Pollyanna effect - a well-known tendency in linguistics for positive vocabulary to dominate. It turns out that behind this phenomenon lies not so much optimism but an instinctive desire for security. An international team of ten researchers also developed a digital tool called "uzio-meter," which could become indispensable for linguistic analysis in the future.

Key Axes of the "Uzio-Metric" Model

The updated coordinate system uses three parameters, each with its own semantic load:

• Strength - a gradient from weakness to power;
• Danger - a scale from complete safety to threat;
• Structure - a range between order and chaos.

This model opens fresh perspectives for studying the emotional coloring of speech, offering a more precise toolkit for analyzing texts and emotional fluctuations. The implementation of "uzio-metrics" could radically change approaches to processing language data, especially in psychology and sociology, where it is important to capture subtle emotional nuances. The creation of the new digital tool "uzio-meter" also reflects the scientific community's drive toward more accurate and effective research methods.

For the Russian-speaking audience, it is worth noting that such work underscores the need for a constant reevaluation of established theories in light of modern data. The results from the Vermont researchers could find applications not only in linguistics but also in developing systems for sentiment analysis of texts, which is relevant for the automatic processing of content on social media and in the media.