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Using word analysis to track the evolution of emotional well-being in nineteenth-century industrializing Britain

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  • Pierre Lack

Abstract

Happiness economics theorizes that economic growth is only tenuously connected to happiness. This article tests this theory on historical evidence by quantifying the trend in emotional well-being (EWB) of British men during the period of rapid industrialization between 1800 and 1900, using a digitized corpus of 19,682 pamphlets published in Britain during this period and held by JSTOR. EWB is measured between these years using a sentiment analysis method of quantifying the frequency over time of a set of positive-valence (“happy”) word groups relative to negative-valence (“sad”) word groups in the corpus, finding that it remains trendless throughout. This method thereby also provides insight into the quality of life of men during the Industrial Revolution.

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  • Pierre Lack, 2021. "Using word analysis to track the evolution of emotional well-being in nineteenth-century industrializing Britain," Historical Methods: A Journal of Quantitative and Interdisciplinary History, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(4), pages 228-247, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:vhimxx:v:54:y:2021:i:4:p:228-247
    DOI: 10.1080/01615440.2021.1952915
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    Cited by:

    1. Benjamin Schneider, 2022. "Good Jobs and Bad Jobs in History," Oxford Economic and Social History Working Papers _202, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.

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