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Words matter life: The effect of language on suicide behavior

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  • Lien, Donald
  • Zhang, Shuo

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between future time reference (FTR) in language and suicide behavior on both country level and individual level and provides a new source to explain the huge variation of suicide behaviors across countries. We find that language markers on future tense have impacts on the speakers’ behaviors that involve intertemporal considerations, even the most critical decision on life – the suicide behavior. On aggregate level, countries with primary languages marking future tense intensively in grammar have lower suicide rates. We prove this effect is consistent with the results obtained on individual level: Individuals speaking strong FTR languages tend to have lower acceptance on both suicide and euthanasia.

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  • Lien, Donald & Zhang, Shuo, 2020. "Words matter life: The effect of language on suicide behavior," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:soceco:v:86:y:2020:i:c:s2214804319302952
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socec.2020.101536
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    Cited by:

    1. Niklas Ziemann, 2022. "You will receive your money next week! Experimental evidence on the role of Future-Time Reference for intertemporal decision-making," CEPA Discussion Papers 56, Center for Economic Policy Analysis.
    2. Yin, Weijun & Chen, Cuixia & Liu, Bing, 2024. "Linguistic-induced life insurance consumption," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 1083-1101.
    3. Essl, Andrea & Suter, Manuel & von Bieberstein, Frauke, 2023. "The effect of future-time referencing on pro-environmental behavior," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 107(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Suicide; Language; Culture; Behavior;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification
    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General

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