This is a study published in the scientific newspaper Plos One Who sets the record straight on what some still consider a gadget. Carried out by researchers from the Kinsey Institute of the University of Indiana and Lake Forest College in Illinois, it interviewed more than 5,300 American adults aged 18 to 94. Their goal: to understand the role of emojis in the beginnings of a relationship, in particular on the chances of going from the first to the second meeting … with a small boost in bonus on the intimacy side.
What the study on emojis and seduction reveals
Study participants were questioned about the frequency they used emojis when they exchanged with people likely to please them. They were also asked how many gallant meetings they had had in the previous year, as well as the frequency of their sexual intercourse.
Result: the researchers observed a clear correlation. “”The use of emojis/emoticons was associated with more first meetings and a more frequent sexual activity in the past year“, they said in their publication.
In other words, regular emojis users are not content to send small hearts or winks to make it pretty. It would be a real emotional lever, capable of strengthening links, of expressing its intentions more freely and, potentially, of accelerating intimacy between two people.
The unsuspected power of emojis to win a second meeting
To refine their results, the researchers conducted a second study on a smaller sample of 275 American singles aged 18 to 71 (average age: 30 years). This time, they more specifically analyzed the impact of emojis on obtaining a second appointment.
And the link was again established: participants who regularly used emojis with their potential partners reported a higher number of second meetings. The trend observed in the first study was also confirmed in terms of sexual activity and diversity of partners encountered over the past year.
Behind these results, a hypothesis: emojis would act as emotional facilitators. In a few pixels, they would make it possible to transmit an emotional message, defuse tensions or subtly open the door to more direct seduction signals. A visual language in short, which completes what the words alone do not always manage to say.
Should we send an eggplant or a red heart?
What the study does not say is what type of emojis works best. No most effective rankings, no list between the famous eggplant and the naughty wink. The researchers did not look at the content of the messages, nor on the emotions felt by the recipients.
However, they remain formal: emojis may well have become “An important aspect of social behavior in today’s digital world“And would play”A strategic role as emotional signals, in particular in the field of the human court“.
If these conclusions are to be believed, it would therefore sometimes be enough for a small smiley well placed to transform a simple exchange into a real connection. And when the words get stuck or a silence settles, sending a drawing could simply make you smile … or make you want to meet again.