To Use Emojis or Not to Use Emojis, That Is the Question

I use emojis like they’re going out of style. A friend sends me a text with a compliment? Yellow heart emoji. My roommate texts me to let me know she got a raise? Party emoji, praise hands, big grin. My liberal use of emojis has bled over to my work as well. If someone I work with sends me an apology email, I’ll send a reply with a smiley face to show there are no hard feelings. If I have to deliver some bad news to a coworker, sometimes I’ll add a frowny face to soften the blow.

Why emojis are sometimes considered bad

According to one study, “inclusion of smiley faces in the email [don’t] affect the perception of warmth but [do] lower the perception of competence.” In other words, sending someone a smile doesn’t make me look any friendlier, but does make me look less capable to do my job.

Great.

Then there’s the chance the person receiving the emoji won’t have the same understanding of what it means. One study found that, often, “two people looking at the exact same emoji on the same…platform can interpret that emoji quite differently.” Two people can look at, say, an emoji with its teeth bared () and one may see a grin while the other sees a grimace. The fact that there’s no clear-cut meaning behind each emoji can lead to miscommunication very easily.

In defense of emojis

Clearly there are dangers and risks involved when you send an emoji to a person for the first time. Mostly incredibly low-stakes risks, but still. In spite of all the research to the contrary, I still believe in the power of emojis.

According to studies, “we tend to misinterpret positive e-mail messages as more neutral, and neutral ones as more negative, than the sender intended.” For instance, my boss will occasionally send me emails that simply state, “Please come see me in my office.” The first few times I received that (before I got to know her), I immediately thought, “I’m getting fired.” I have not, in fact, been fired during any of her summons; she asks to see me so she can explain policy changes or ask for my input on something. If she had included a smiley face, I would have thought, “This must be nothing serious. Only a monster would smile at bad news.”

The benefits of emojis are not just received; they can be given too. My job is a support role: I support salespeople and private contractors to make sure events happen as promised. As such, I need to be approachable to do my job. Emojis help with that. As with everything, there’s a time and a place; I’m not suggesting putting emojis in every email. However, the naturally short, tacit nature of emails or IMs can sometimes benefit from a hint at what the sender’s emotions are. Too many exclamation points just make you look unhinged, so a quick smiley face can fill in this gap.

Middle ground

Either side holds about equal weight. On the one hand, emojis can make you look less competent. On the other hand, they can soften an otherwise concerning or short email. So what do we do about this?

Well, researchers recommend only using emojis with people you already have an established relationship with. This article from Entrepreneur suggests, “A smiley can only replace a smile when you already know the other person. In initial interactions, it is better to avoid using smileys, regardless of age or gender.”

In other words, emojis are probably fine if you know the other person. Brush up on those communication skills and give that person on the other side of the email a call or a visit before you send them a smiley face. Think of it as the office equivalent of eating your vegetables before dessert.

An essay in the Wall Street Journal claims, “We used to be able to get readings on these vital questions of intent from the expression on your boss’s face, a pat on the back, or a colleague’s quick smile. Living in the virtual world more and more completely as we do, we’ve lost that essential intent pipeline.” Emojis clearly aren’t a perfect stand-in for in-person communication, but they are the best substitute we have right now. Short of stating, “I am smiling kindly at you right now,” in an email, I say we use the resources we have available and not worry about how inadequate they may currently be.

Except the winky face. Never use a winky face emoji. That’s just good practice in general.