What do your emojis say about you

Communication is a big part of our lives and effective communication allows us to have successful relationships.  Verbal communication is the sounds and words (or speech) we use when talking with another person or group.  There is also non-verbal communication.  You may be aware of the importance of non-verbal communication – the expressions of our face, hand movements, eye contact, how we stand, tone of our voice.

However, since the internet and rise of social networking, a lot of our conversations have moved online.  This shift can make it difficult to accurately express ourselves when communicating with someone through our smartphone or computer.  However, the creation of emojis has helped us show our emotions and feelings when we are not having a face-to-face conversation with someone.  According to a study, nearly 80% of study participants used emojis when texting and 76% used them when on Facebook.

The use of emojis allows us to have non-verbal communications online (when our words are not enough to get our meaning across).  And whatever emoji we choose to use can greatly change the way the recipient reads the message and how they respond.

Source: Swiftkey Emoji report, 2015 (taken from CNN.com)

Also, there is some evidence that psychology plays a role behind the use of emojis.  For example, a CNN article stated that:

• People who use emojis are more agreeable
• Emoji users are more socially receptive and empathetic making them more approachable
• Individuals who are more aware of how they come across to others in online communications were less likely to use sad emojis
• Emoji use can make individuals more effective in communicating

To continue reading about the study and for additional information from the CNN article, visit cnn.com

Also, do you know anyone can submit a proposal for a new emoji?

What’s your favorite emoji?  How many emojis do you use in a day?  If you have any comments about the subject of today’s blog post, please let us know!  We’d love to hear from you!