Positive and negative language as execution nears: Linguistic analysis of interviews with Ted Bundy

Prior research has suggested that individuals facing death, such as those on death row, exhibit an increase in positive language as the execution date approaches. These results are consistent with Terror Management Theory (TMT). This research tested this idea by analyzing how the linguistic characteristics of Ted Bundy’s spoken language evolved over time. In the study, interviews with Bundy from 1977 to 1989 were analyzed using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC, Boyd et al., 2022a) to examine emotional language, particularly positive and negative emotions. The study tested the hypothesis that there would be a positive shift in Bundy’s language as execution approached. Statistical analyses, including Spearman’s correlation and z-score outlier detection, revealed stability in Bundy’s emotional language, contradicting the hypothesis. Exploratory analyses also examined the percentages of words related to Dark Triad traits. Results found that two of the four word categories analyzed (i.e., swear words and clout) were lower compared to normative data. These findings contribute to forensic linguistics and criminology by providing insights into how individuals use language when facing mortality.