To examine the association between weather and expressed sentiments, researchers gathered 2.4 billion posts from Facebook and 1.1 billion from Twitter between 2009 and 2016 and analyzed sentiment. Temperature, precipitation, humidity and cloud cover correlate with expressions of sentiment. Positive expressions increase up to 20 degrees Celsius and decline as the temperature goes over 30 degrees Celsius. While imperfect, the study provides insight into how weather influences sentiments expressed via social media, which can act as a proxy for underlying human emotional states.
Original paper published April 25, 2018
Lead author: Patrick Baylis, Vancouver School of Economics – pbaylis@mail.ubc.ca
