How do these clouds make you feel? New research says we can predict

A few years ago, some suggested to me that instead of using sunny, cloudy, rainy and snowy icons on my extended forecast graphic, I should use emojis.

“You know, instead of a little sun icon, use a smiley face or frown face” one person said.

I never put that idea on the air, but there is some research that supports the emotion emoji forecast idea.

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It’s no secret that moods change with the weather. Over the years, there have been numerous studies on how weather and climate impact our moods and overall quality of life.

One example is seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, a type of depression that’s related to changes in seasons. Most people with SAD have symptoms that start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping one’s energy and making those who are impacted feel moody. The studies have found that people tend to be less happy when the weather outside turns wet and/or cold.

Late last month, a new study by a team of American and Canadian researchers found a strong link between certain weather conditions and people’s moods as expressed through their social media postings. The study was published in the peer-reviewed science journal PLOS ONE.

For the study, the researchers analyzed 3.5 billion social media posts — 2.4 billion from Facebook (collected from January 2009 through March 2012) and 1.1 billion from Twitter (collected from November 2013 through June 2016).

When the researchers compared the sentiments in the social media posts to meteorological data, they found that temperature, precipitation, humidity and cloud cover were each strongly linked with either a positive or negative post.

For example, posts tended to get more positive as temperatures rose to 68 degrees but then fell as temperatures rose above 86 degrees. Precipitation, humidity levels of 80 percent or higher, and high amounts of cloud cover were associated with more negative sentiments.

While nicer weather may put many people in a better mood, other studies have found some bad effects of warmer weather. According to a 2010 study of violence in Cleveland from 1999 to 2004 published in the journal “Weather, Climate and Society,” hotter temperatures correlated to higher amounts of aggressive crime, especially domestic violence and non-aggravated assaults - attacks involving no weapon and no serious injury.

As far as using emojis in a weather forecast, I’m just not sold on the idea yet. I think I just stick to forecasting the weather as opposed to forecasting a person’s mood – or preferred emoji face.

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