The pollyanna hypothesis

• Published in: Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior 1969-01, Vol.8 (1), p.1-8
• Main Authors: Boucher, Jerry, Osgood, Charles E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0022-5371; 0749-596X
• DOI: 10.1016/S0022-5371(69)80002-2

The Pollyanna Hypothesis asserts that there is a universal human tendency to use evaluatively positive words (E+) more frequently and diversely than evaluatively negative words (E−) in communicating. Drawing on existing cross-cultural and developmental data, it was demonstrated that (a) across a sample of 13 language/culture communities E+ members of evaluative scales are used significantly more frequently and diversely than their E− opposites, (b) across 11 of these communities negative affixes are applied significantly more often to the E+ members of pairs (to make the E− opposite) than to the E− members (to make the E+ opposite), and (c) across age levels from 7 through 11 E+ members of evaluative pairs appear earlier, have higher frequencies and diversities of usage and take the negative affix more frequently than their E− opposites. Possible biases in the data and alternatives to the Pollyanna hypothesis are considered.