Emoji users have more sex

Photo: Contributed

New research shows that people who use emojis more often while communicating with potential romantic partners are more likely to go on more dates and have more sex.

The research published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information studied computer-mediated communication and courtship. The findings were quite interesting.

"Our research suggests that emoji use may provide a reasonable proxy for expressing affect and may provide a useful aid in self-disclosure and building intimacy. As a result, using emojis with potential romantic and sexual partners may, in turn, lead to more face-to-face opportunities to assess compatibility and attraction."

People began using emoticons to express how they feel, but they were rudimentary, to begin with :-).

The study shows that emojis appear to be an important aspect of social behaviour in today’s digital world and can be used strategically to move from more superficial to more intimate levels through self-disclosure in the domain of human courtship.

The study suggests emojis may be useful tools in creating intimacy and that the desire for close relationships, including romantic and sexual ones, is an evolved feature of human social psychology.

The study canvassed 5,327 single American adults and of those studied nearly 30 per cent of the sample used emojis/emoticons regularly with dates. Participants reported they liked using emojis because they provide a better outlet for self-expression than strictly text-based messages.

"Importantly, emoji/emoticon use was associated with more first dates and more frequent sexual activity over the last year," the authors said.