Blogpost written by Reyhan Göç and Baraa Othman
Key Points
- Emojis influence the perceived emotion of the message and enhance communication in digital interaction.
- If emojis match the content of the message, they improve clarity, if don’t, they cause confusion and slow understanding.
- Positive emojis support warmth and connection.
Have you ever thought about the effects of emojis, which have become an essential part of our messages in daily life? Do emojis negatively affect our language or communication? Emojis play an important role in the emotional tone of our messages. For example, a simple text like “Good job” might seem neutral, but adding an emoji like a thumbs up 👍 or clapping hands👏, strengthens the enthusiasm and makes the message feel more personal and engaging. A recent study highlights the fundamental impact of emojis on our emotions, perceptions and understanding of digital messages.
How Emojis Enhance Emotional Communication
Emojis, these small digital icons, have become a vital part of modern communication. They’re everywhere, adding color and emotion to the way we connect with others. While facial expressions help us understand people’s emotional states in face-to-face interactions, emojis play a similar role in digital messages. A single ‘I’m sorry’ text may not show how deeply we are sorry, so we can solve this by adding a crying emoji: ‘I’m sorry😭’.
The study found that emojis are like mood boosters for messages. Negative emojis can totally change the vibe, making a message feel negative, even if the message is positive or neutral. On the other hand, positive emojis can make a message feel positive, but they don’t have the magical power to erase the bad mood in the negative messages. Neutral emojis tend to be seen as slightly negative, probably because the one used in this study (😐) is a bit more on the “meh” side than completely neutral.
How Emojis Help You Seem Warmer and More Approachable
Emojis also influence how people think about the sender socially. People who use positive emojis are perceived as warm, friendly and reliable while those who use negative emoji make a more unpleasant impression.
Let’s not forget that this study focused on daily messaging, and the use of emoji in professional context such as e-mails, is not very preferred. In fact, a separate study shows that smiling expressions in professional settings don’t make people seem warmer but can make them seem less competent.
Processing Made Easy: Emojis as Cognitive Boosters
Besides making communication easier to read and understand, emojis can be used to convey emotions. The study shows that using emojis that match the tone of a message, like a happy emoji with a positive sentence, makes the message easier to understand and less mentally taxing.
People can understand messages faster and more easily when the emoji matches the tone of the text. But if the emoji doesn’t fit, like a sad face with a happy message, it can be confusing and harder to read.
For example, sending „Congratulations! 😭“ might confuse the reader because the sad emoji doesn’t match the positive tone of the text, making the message unclear.
What This Means for You
Emojis fill the void left by the lack of gestures and facial expressions in digital communication, making them indispensable tools. Boutet et al. (2021) say that emojis copy facial expressions, making it easier to share emotions, connect with others, and understand messages by matching visuals to the message’s tone.
When used thoughtfully, emojis make digital interactions more engaging, relatable, and effective.
Here are some tips to maximize their impact:
Match Emoji Tone with Text: Make sure the emoji matches the tone in your text message because it improves clarity. Otherwise, it might be taken in a different direction altogether!
Leverage Positive Emojis: To increase your warmth and likeability, use positive emoticons like 😊 or ❤️. This will make the sender appear more approachable and kinder.
Be Cautious in Professional Settings: Although emojis can bring individuality, excessive use or poorly chosen emojis may detract from views of expertise. no more than minimal and neutral emojis, like 👍 or 😊, if necessary.
Conclusion
Emojis, however, are more than just adorable icons; they are potent representations of who we are online. By carefully choosing your emojis,
Boutet et al. (2021) suggest that thoughtfully using emojis can make communication clearer, help build meaningful relationships, and support users in adapting to the ever-changing digital landscape.
References
- Boutet, I., LeBlanc, M., Chamberland, J. A., & Collin, C. A. (2021). Emojis influence emotional communication, social attributions, and information processing. Computers in Human Behavior, 119, 106722. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.106722