A new study from the University of Ottawa says that using angry or negative emojis in workplace emails can make you look less competent. Researchers asked 243 undergrads to judge short messages that had either a smiling face, an angry face, or no emoji at all. The verdict? Messages without any emojis made senders seem the most professional and capable, while negative emojis like the angry face were considered especially inappropriate—no matter what the message actually said.
Interestingly, positive emojis like the grinning face could make you seem friendlier or more competent, but only if the message itself was neutral or upbeat. Negative emojis tanked first impressions, especially for women judged by other women in the study. The takeaway from the research: emojis aren’t just harmless decorations, but can actually shape how your coworkers view your professionalism and competence in a big way.
What I’m wondering, is why did the researchers only test with smiley and angry emojis? Most of the ones I’ve seen in work e-mails are laughing, thumbs up, or thumbs down. Would a laughing emoji or a thumbs up have the same effect, or would they actually boost perceptions of competence and friendliness? Could be good tests for a follow-up study.
How about you, are you an emoji user in the workplace, or do you swear em off entirely?
Comments