Penn Psych Study Shows Twitter Can Predict Rates of Heart Disease

In a new study published in the journal Psychological Science, Penn researchers demonstrate that Twitter can capture more information about heart disease risk than can traditional risk markers. They found that expressions of negative emotions in a given U.S. county’s tweets were associated with higher heart disease risk, while positive emotions were associated with lower risk. The study was led by Department of Psychology doctoral candidate Johannes Eichstaedt.

Researchers have assumed that the psychological well being of communities is important for physical health. The new study suggests that Twitter may provide a window into a community’s collective mental state, proving useful for epidemiological purposes and public-health interventions.

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