People who use emojis appear more attentive and approachable: ‘They address a universal human need.’

Emojis are a common element in messages and social networks, yet their importance in maintaining healthy relationships is often underestimated. New research published in the scientific journal Plos confirms how their simple use helps strengthen the connection between people. “Emojis add an emotional touch to what we say, and in relationships, that touch is not just decorative: it can influence how valued or understood a person feels,” says Sally Huh, a researcher at the University of Texas at Austin. “Emojis help recover some of that emotional warmth that is lost when we communicate only through text. Without voice, facial expressions, or gestures, messages can seem cold or dry,” she adds.

Huh has confirmed this positive layer that emojis add to text relationships: her study involved 260 adults aged 23 to 67, who were sent 15 conversations, some with emojis and others without, and were asked to evaluate how each participant was perceived. The result is that the authors of messages with emojis were seen as more attentive and emotionally connected. The conclusion is clear: “This article shows that accompanying written texts with emojis increases closeness and the satisfaction of the message recipient,” says Celia Andreu Sánchez, a professor at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and reviewer of Huh’s text.

In her research, Huh found that the specific emoji used matters little, even if it’s a smiley face or another symbol. What’s important is not to leave messages without these little pictures, which add a gesture, a glance, or tone to communication. “I found it surprising yet interesting that there were no big differences in how relationships are perceived when using emojis with or without faces,” says Huh. “It may be because both types can fulfill an emotional or relational function, depending on the context. Ultimately, what matters for giving relational meaning to an emoji is that it fits into the conversation, rather than the type of emoji it is,” she adds.

The mere effort of searching for an emoji to add a non-verbal touch helps. It’s like a friendly gesture with the face after saying a phrase. Even if the emoji is something counterproductive or negative, like an angry or melancholic face. “Even a simple or neutral emoji conveys emotional effort and involvement; although in some cases the exact emoji may matter, what’s most important is usually the emotional layer and the sense of closeness it brings,” the researcher elaborates.

For All Ages

Neither the type of emoji nor the age of users matters. The emoji is crucial at all ages. “I was surprised that there were no significant generational differences. While young people may have popularized emojis, older generations have quickly adopted them because they meet a universal human need,” says Huh. Many adults may have already expressed emotions in writing using smiley faces or creatively using punctuation to convey feelings.

Emojis are an advancement over historical emoticons like 🙂 because they are “more visually expressive, resemble real facial expressions more closely, and are easier to interpret,” Huh points out. However, lately, emojis had been giving some of their space to stickers or gifs. The transfer hasn’t fully occurred. Emojis still play a role in written communication: “Emojis are more visual,” says Andreu Sánchez. “The increase in technical possibilities of mobile devices has made the ‘visual art’ of this type of communication more complex and rich. Stickers offer a high degree of personalization, and that is something positive in the society we live in,” she adds.

In the end, however, they all serve to provide a sense of warmth that pure text does not offer, believes Huh: “Although stickers and gifs have become very popular, they coexist perfectly with emojis. Stickers can convey even more intense emotions or a more specific and personal style, but fundamentally they serve a similar function: to add warmth, personality, and emotional nuances to digital messages. Overall, both stickers and emojis help humanize text and likely have a similar effect in making people feel seen and understood,” adds Huh.