Trump vs. Clinton: Emotional Tone and Clout

Hi!

I didn’t get much research done this week, but I came across an interesting blog post by Pennebaker (the same researcher I’ve talked about a few weeks ago). He analyzes the second presidential debate by comparing the emotional tone and relative amount of clout between Clinton and Trump.

He showcases two line graphs that depict the amount of emotional tone that span the primary debates to the second presidential debate. According to the graph, the language of both candidates in the primaries was optimistic and upbeat. However, as they started the presidential debate, Trump’s language took a pessimistic turn in comparison to Clinton’s relative optimism and positivity.

Clout refers to the ability to speak confidently with a sense of certainty. Usually, people would use we-words and social words. Both candidates had a relatively high degree of clout. But in the first debate, “Clinton’s word usage suggested a greater sense of status or power whereas Trump’s language was more hesitating and weak. In last night’s second debate, the candidates’ language styles reversed. Despite his recent difficulties, Trump’s words revealed greater confidence that Clinton’s," according to Pennebaker.

That's all for this week! Thanks for reading :)

--Gina

*picture credit to wordwatchers