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A recent study found that women, but not men, with higher emotional intelligence tend to use more emojis when communicating with friends. Conversely, men with higher emotional intelligence are more likely to use emojis when communicating with their romantic partners. The research was published in PLOS ONE.
Emojis are small digital images or icons used to express emotions, ideas, or concepts in electronic communication. Originating in Japan, they have since become a global phenomenon, enriching text-based conversations with visual cues. Emojis encompass a wide range of categories, including smiley faces, animals, food, weather, and activities.
Their use helps convey tone and emotion, often clarifying the intent behind messages that might otherwise be misinterpreted. Studies indicate that people use emojis to reduce uncertainty, modulate the tone of a message, or make it more precise. Emojis are supported by most digital platforms and are standardized by the Unicode Consortium to ensure consistency across devices. They continue to evolve, with new emojis introduced annually to reflect cultural and technological shifts.
Study author Simon Dubé and his colleagues aimed to examine the associations between emotional attachment styles, emotional intelligence, and the use of emojis. They hypothesized that individuals with anxious and avoidant attachment styles would use emojis less frequently, while individuals with higher emotional intelligence would use them more frequently. They also hypothesized that women would use emojis more often than men across all social contexts.
The researchers conducted an online survey using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk), an online platform that connects businesses and researchers with workers who perform microtasks, such as completing surveys for compensation.
The study included 320 adult participants, with an average age of 35 years. Sixty percent of the participants were women. They completed an online survey that included assessments of attachment style (using the 12-item Experiences in Close Relationships–Short Form), emotional intelligence (using the 30-item Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire–Short Form), and an emoji use questionnaire designed by the study authors.
The assessment of emotional attachment used in the study measured attachment styles based on two dimensions: attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance. Attachment anxiety reflects fears of rejection and abandonment, while attachment avoidance relates to discomfort with closeness and dependency on others. Individuals scoring low on both dimensions are considered securely attached, characterized by comfort with intimacy and trust in relationships. Emotional intelligence, on the other hand, is the ability to recognize, understand, manage, and influence one’s own emotions and those of others. It plays a crucial role in navigating social interactions, fostering relationships, and making thoughtful decisions in personal and professional contexts.
The results revealed that women scoring high on avoidant attachment were less likely to send or receive emojis from friends or romantic partners and were also less likely to receive emojis from family members or romantic partners. Men with pronounced avoidant attachment were less likely to send emojis to their romantic partners. Women with higher emotional intelligence scores tended to send and receive emojis from their friends more frequently, while men with higher emotional intelligence scores were more likely to send emojis to their romantic partners.
In general, women tended to send more emojis to friends and family compared to men and were also more likely to receive emojis from friends.
“Findings suggest that individuals higher on emotional intelligence with secure attachment may employ emojis more frequently across contexts where more conventional non-verbal cues are lacking. These findings are important given the prevalence of virtual communications in our everyday lives,” the study authors concluded.
The study sheds light on the psychological underpinnings of emoji use. However, it should be noted that all the observed associations were weak. Additionally, the data are completely based on self-reported recall of emoji use practices. This means that reporting bias could have affected the results.
The paper, “Beyond words: Relationships between emoji use, attachment style, and emotional intelligence,” was authored by Simon Dube, Amanda N. Gesselman, Ellen M. Kaufman, Margaret Bennett Brown, Vivian P. Ta-Johnson, and Justin R. Garcia.
