Mad or mad-mad: conveying subtle emotion with face emoji

Introduction: To compensate for the lack of pragmatic information available when communicating via text message, texters make frequent use of texting-specific cues, or textisms, to convey meaning that would otherwise be apparent in spoken conversation. Here, we explore how one such cue, face emoji, can impact the interpretation of text messages. Methods: In Experiment 1, we paired neutral text messages with valenced face emoji to determine whether the emoji can alter the meaning of the text. In Experiment 2, we paired valenced text messages with valenced face emoji to determine whether the emoji can modulate the valence of the text. Results: In Experiment 1, we found that texts paired with positive emoji were rated more positively than texts paired with negative emoji. Furthermore, texts paired with stronger-valenced emoji were rated as less neutral compared to texts paired with milder-valenced emoji. In Experiment 2, we found that slightly positive texts paired with strong positive emoji were rated somewhat similarly to the same texts paired with mild positive emoji; however, slightly negative texts paired with strong negative emoji were rated much more negatively than the same texts paired with mild negative emoji. Discussion: These results indicate that the presence of face emoji, particularly negative face emoji, can alter the interpretation of text messages, allowing texters to communicate nuanced meaning and subtle emotion.