Scientists Challenge a 70-Year-Old Theory of Language With a Surprising Discovery

University of Vermont researchers say the classic valence-arousal-dominance model does not fully explain how language meaning is organized.

Using billions of word uses across more than 20,000 words, they propose a new approach called ousiometrics.

The study argues that meaning is better captured by three independent dimensions: power, danger, and structure.

Across texts, they found a strong overall bias toward safety, suggesting language may be shaped more by risk avoidance than by emotion alone.

If confirmed, the framework could affect psychology, linguistics, and AI systems that model semantics.