Delving into the realm of positivity, an intriguing study conducted by researchers from the University of Vermont and the University of Adelaide sought to unravel the essence of happiness encapsulated within words. Their quest? To identify the most positive word in the world.
Join the exploration into the uplifting lexicon unveiled by this revelatory research, and let the positive words ignite joy in your heart.
What Is the Most Positive Word
Can you guess what is the most positive word in the world? According to a study made by researchers at the University of Vermont and the University of Adelaide, the most positive word is laughter.
How did the researchers then determine which word is the most positive word? Firstly, the scientists collected and used a list of 10,222 unique words. Then, each word got rated by 50 individual participants on a scale 1 to 9. Participants rated the words on the following "happiness score scale" (9 = most happy, 5 = neutral and 1 = least happy).
The result?
From all 10,222 words, the laughter gained the highest score (8.50) and claimed the throne of positivity, followed closely by 'happiness,' 'love,' and other joyous contenders. For comparison, the most negative word was terrorist with a score (1.30).
What Are the Most Positive Words | Top 10
Top ten of most positive words based on the study of University of Vermont and Adelaide and their happiness score scale are:
1. Laughter 8.50
2. Happiness 8.44
3. Love 8.42
4. Happy 8.30
5. Laughed 8.26
6. Laugh 8.22
7. Laughing 8.20
8. Excellent 8.18
9. Laughs 8.18
10. Joy 8.16
The research paper 'Positivity of the English Language' was published in PLOS 2012. The revelations from this study not only illuminate the most uplifting words but also invite us to explore the profound impact of positivity within language.
If we take similar "duplicate" words away from the list, the top 20 most positive words list would look like this:
