

Psychologists have analyzed hundreds of written threats to members of congress. Their conclusion: people who send angry emails show far fewer signs of serious mental illness than their envelope-licking counterparts.

At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Katherine Schoeneman-Morris and her colleagues read 300 letters and 99 emails that were provided by the United States Capitol Police. They published a summary of their findings in the September issue of the Journal of Forensic Sciences.

Some of their other observations were less than surprising:

Emailers were significantly more likely than letter writers to focus on government concerns, use obscene language, and display disorganization in their writing.

What would you like to tell your elected representatives? If you have access to any threatening letters, please link to them or post the text in the comments section.