Interpersonal relations are fickle, with close friendships often dissolving
into enmity. In this work, we explore linguistic cues that presage such
transitions by studying dyadic interactions in an online strategy game where
players form alliances and break those alliances through betrayal. We
characterize friendships that are unlikely to last and examine temporal
patterns that foretell betrayal.
We reveal that subtle signs of imminent betrayal are encoded in the
conversational patterns of the dyad, even if the victim is not aware of the
relationship's fate. In particular, we find that lasting friendships exhibit a
form of balance that manifests itself through language. In contrast, sudden
changes in the balance of certain conversational attributes---such as positive
sentiment, politeness, or focus on future planning---signal impending betrayal.Comment: To appear at ACL 2015. 10pp, 4 fig. Data and other info available at
http://vene.ro/betrayal