The origins of emojis go back to the late 1980s, but they didn’t truly enter our lives until 2011, when companies like Apple began incorporating them into their software.

As of September 2024, there are roughly 3,800 emojis recognized by the Unicode Consortium, the group responsible for standardizing characters for digital text.

“People from all backgrounds and ages commonly use emojis,” notes Professor Patrick Georg Grosz from the University of Oslo’s Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian Studies.

Studies indicate that smiley faces and hearts are the most popular emojis.

“Emotive emojis are the ones we rely on most. They help reintroduce facial expressions into our written chats,” Grosz explains.

Adding Emotion to Text

With the rise of texting and messaging over the last few decades, we often communicate without seeing each other’s faces.

“Written messages can lack emotion,” Grosz adds, “and emojis help bridge that gap.”

For example, if you ask, “Can you call me?” adding a smiley or sad face can change the tone of the message. A smiling face might show you have good news, while a sad face might imply something unfortunate.

As Grosz points out, “The sad emoji can convey empathy or a sense of loss—nuances that plain words sometimes fail to express.” Emojis can articulate feelings that words alone might not capture.

“Research shows that emojis often feel warmer than plain text, which can come across as colder,” he observes.

Age’s Role in Emoji Use

Although emojis are now ubiquitous, most people have only been using them for about 14 years. This experience shapes how effectively individuals communicate with them, a concept known as “emoji literacy.”

“An 18-year-old was just 4 when emojis appeared, while a 40-year-old first encountered them at 26,” Grosz explains.

His research highlights variations in emoji understanding across age and cultural lines, though these differences are generally subtle.

“Older users often interpret emojis more literally,” he notes. Gender differences exist too, but they are not extreme. “Across cultures, interpretations of emojis are quite similar, regardless of whether you’re Norwegian or American.”

Understanding Emoji Meanings

When an emoji is added to the Unicode list, it comes with a name, like “smiling face with smiling eyes” (😊), along with a general idea of its meaning, but interpretations can vary.

Some emojis, like many face icons, are easily understood due to their resemblance to real expressions. Others, like the “lying face” (🤥) or “zipper-mouth face” (🤐), rely more on cultural context.

“These figures like Pinocchio have created associations, while the gesture of zipping one’s lips depends on cultural experience,” Grosz explains.

Some emojis are considered more symbolic, while others are more realistic representations of facial expressions.

“When you see a new emoji, you typically have a gut feeling about its emotional tone just from its appearance,” Grosz says.

Tips for Emoji Use

Struggling to choose emojis correctly? Professor Patrick Georg Grosz shares some advice.

“Consider who you’re talking to and the context. If the person knows you well, they’ll likely grasp your emoji usage,” he suggests.

“On the other hand, if you’re messaging someone you’re less familiar with, it’s safer to stick to clear emojis.”

For instance, be cautious with the “slightly smiling face” (🙂), which older people might interpret positively, while younger individuals may see it as sarcastic. Grosz humorously refers to it as the “psychopath emoji” in this context.

Instead, he recommends using “smiling face with smiling eyes” (😊), which universally conveys positivity.

Distinguishing Subtle Differences

It can sometimes be tricky to differentiate between similar emojis. The site Emojipedia lists possible interpretations, but these meanings aren’t etched in stone.

For example, what’s the difference between “beaming face with smiling eyes” (😁) and “grinning face with smiling eyes” (😄)?

“Both have the same eyes, but one shows both rows of teeth, while the other shows just the upper row,” Grosz clarifies.

In reality, it’s hard to differentiate smiles based solely on teeth—most people smile without thinking about which teeth are visible. His research indicates that people interpret these two emojis differently, and there’s a consensus on this point.

“When both sets of teeth are visible, people associate it with joy, whereas just the upper row tends to evoke laughter or entertainment,” he explains.

Emojis Serve a Purpose

In his work, Grosz notes that there’s a variety of kissing face emojis: the traditional blowing a kiss (😘), one with closed eyes (😚), one with open eyes (😗), and one with smiling eyes (😙).

“While I don’t use all of them personally, some people do. The distinctions among them are subtle and can easily be missed,” he admits.

Although emojis may seem trivial, he emphasizes their significance in understanding human communication. They reveal insights into how we interact, learn language, and employ non-verbal cues in our conversations.

“We use gestures naturally while speaking; they enhance what we say. Emojis can fulfill a similar role in our online interactions,” he concludes.

“They address a communicative need. By studying emojis, we can learn more about how we connect with one another,” Grosz emphasizes.