Linguistic Markers of Faster Life History Strategies among Teen Parents on Reddit: A Comparative Analysis

Life History Theory links environmental unpredictability with early reproduction across several species. Social media offers a new lens to explore this phenomenon in humans. This study examines linguistic differences between teen parents and non-parent teens on Reddit, analyzing 15,591 posts/comments using a computational natural language processing tool called WMatrix5. K-cluster analysis of semantic tag frequencies statistically identified by WMatrix5’s machine learning revealed 15 unique profiles for non-parent teens but only 4 for teen parents. Teen parents showed more linguistic homogeneity and less emotional variability, though some expressed secure attachment and emotional growth. Non-parent teens exhibited broader emotional expression across clusters. Findings suggest teen pregnancy’s impact on development varies based on emotional and social experiences, attachment styles, and family context, with teen parents displaying diverse attachment behaviours and levels of emotional and social investment.