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From Trial by Fire To Sleep Like a Baby: A Lexicon of Anxiety Associations for 20k English Multiword Expressions

arXiv:2602.18692v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Anxiety is the unease about a possible future negative outcome. In recent years, there has been growing interest in understanding how anxiety relates to our health, well-being, body, mind, and behaviour. This includes work on lexical resources for word-anxiety association. However, there is very little anxiety-related work on larger units of text such as multiword expressions (MWE). Here, we introduce the first large-scale lexicon capturing descriptive norms of anxiety associations for more than 20k English MWEs. We show that the anxiety associations are highly reliable. We use the lexicon to study prevalence of different types of anxiety- and calmness-associated MWEs; and how that varies across two-, three-, and four-word sequences. We also study the extent to which the anxiety association of MWEs is compositional (due to its constituent words). The lexicon enables a wide variety of anxiety-related research in psychology, NLP, public he

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Saif M. Mohammad · · 1 min read · 2 views
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arXiv:2602.18692v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Anxiety is the unease about a possible future negative outcome. In recent years, there has been growing interest in understanding how anxiety relates to our health, well-being, body, mind, and behaviour. This includes work on lexical resources for word-anxiety association. However, there is very little anxiety-related work on larger units of text such as multiword expressions (MWE). Here, we introduce the first large-scale lexicon capturing descriptive norms of anxiety associations for more than 20k English MWEs. We show that the anxiety associations are highly reliable. We use the lexicon to study prevalence of different types of anxiety- and calmness-associated MWEs; and how that varies across two-, three-, and four-word sequences. We also study the extent to which the anxiety association of MWEs is compositional (due to its constituent words). The lexicon enables a wide variety of anxiety-related research in psychology, NLP, public health, and social sciences. The lexicon is freely available: https://saifmohammad.com/worrylex.html

Executive Summary

The article presents a novel lexicon of anxiety associations for over 20,000 English multiword expressions (MWEs), marking the first large-scale effort to capture descriptive norms of anxiety associations for such textual units. The study demonstrates the reliability of these associations and explores the prevalence and compositionality of anxiety- and calmness-associated MWEs across different word sequences. The lexicon is intended to facilitate research in psychology, natural language processing (NLP), public health, and social sciences, and is freely accessible to the public.

Key Points

  • ▸ Introduction of the first large-scale lexicon of anxiety associations for 20,000+ English MWEs.
  • ▸ Demonstration of the reliability of anxiety associations in the lexicon.
  • ▸ Analysis of the prevalence and compositionality of anxiety- and calmness-associated MWEs.
  • ▸ Potential applications in psychology, NLP, public health, and social sciences.

Merits

Comprehensive Lexicon

The lexicon is the first of its kind to capture anxiety associations for a large number of MWEs, providing a valuable resource for researchers.

Reliability

The study demonstrates the high reliability of the anxiety associations, enhancing the lexicon's credibility and utility.

Interdisciplinary Applications

The lexicon's potential applications span multiple fields, including psychology, NLP, public health, and social sciences.

Demerits

Limited Scope

The lexicon focuses solely on English MWEs, which may limit its applicability to other languages and cultures.

Compositionality Analysis

While the study explores the compositionality of anxiety associations, it does not provide an in-depth analysis, which could be a subject for future research.

Data Source

The article does not specify the sources or methods used to gather the MWEs, which could impact the generalizability of the findings.

Expert Commentary

The introduction of a comprehensive lexicon of anxiety associations for English MWEs is a significant advancement in the field of lexical resources for emotion detection. The study's demonstration of the reliability of these associations is particularly noteworthy, as it underscores the potential for practical applications in various domains. The lexicon's interdisciplinary relevance is a notable strength, offering valuable insights for researchers in psychology, NLP, public health, and social sciences. However, the study's focus on English MWEs and the lack of detailed compositionality analysis present areas for future research. The lexicon's potential to inform mental health interventions and public health policies highlights its practical and policy implications. Overall, this work represents a substantial contribution to the understanding of anxiety associations in language and paves the way for further exploration in this critical area.

Recommendations

  • ✓ Future research should expand the lexicon to include MWEs from other languages and cultures to enhance its global applicability.
  • ✓ A more in-depth analysis of the compositionality of anxiety associations in MWEs could provide deeper insights into how these associations are formed and interpreted.

Sources

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