<div align="justify">Using a smiley face emoji or similar emoticons in work-related e-mails may not create a positive impression and could actually portray low competence, a study suggests.<br /><br />"Our findings provide first-time evidence that, contrary to actual smiles, smileys do not increase perceptions of warmth and actually decrease perceptions of competence. In formal business e-mails, a smiley is not a smile," said Ella Glikson, a post doctorate fellow at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Israel.<br /><br />Researchers conducted a series of experiments with a total of 549 participants from 29 different countries.<br /><br />In one experiment, participants were asked to read a work-related e-mail from an unknown person and then evaluate both the competence and warmth of that person.<br />All the participants received similar messages. Some included smileys while others did not.<br /><br />Researchers found that in contrast to face-to-face smiles, which increase both competence and warmth, the smileys in an e-mail had no effect on the perception of warmth, and in fact had a negative effect on the perception of competence.<br /><br />"The study also found that when the participants were asked to respond to e-mails on formal matters, their answers were more detailed and they included more content-related information when the e-mail did not include a smiley," Glikson said.<br /><br />"We found that the perceptions of low competence if a smiley is included in turn undermined information sharing," she said.<br /><br />In another experiment, the use of a smiley was compared to a smiling or neutral photograph. The findings show that in case of a photograph, a smiling sender was perceived as more competent and friendly than a neutral one.<br /><br />However, when an e-mail on formal work-related matters included a smiley, the sender was perceived as less competent. The smiley did not influence the evaluation of the sender's friendliness, researchers said.<br /><br />The team also found that when the gender of the e-mail writer was unknown, recipients were more likely to assume that the e-mail was sent by a woman if it included a smiley.<br /><br />However, this attribution did not influence the evaluation of competence or friendliness.<br /><br />"People tend to assume that a smiley is a virtual smile, but the findings show that in the case of the workplace, at least as far as initial 'encounters' are concerned, this is incorrect," Glikson said.<br /><br />"For now, at least, a smiley can only replace a smile when you already know the other person. In initial interactions, it is better to avoid using smileys, regardless of age or gender," she added.<br /><br />The study was published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science. <br /></div>
<div align="justify">Using a smiley face emoji or similar emoticons in work-related e-mails may not create a positive impression and could actually portray low competence, a study suggests.<br /><br />"Our findings provide first-time evidence that, contrary to actual smiles, smileys do not increase perceptions of warmth and actually decrease perceptions of competence. In formal business e-mails, a smiley is not a smile," said Ella Glikson, a post doctorate fellow at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Israel.<br /><br />Researchers conducted a series of experiments with a total of 549 participants from 29 different countries.<br /><br />In one experiment, participants were asked to read a work-related e-mail from an unknown person and then evaluate both the competence and warmth of that person.<br />All the participants received similar messages. Some included smileys while others did not.<br /><br />Researchers found that in contrast to face-to-face smiles, which increase both competence and warmth, the smileys in an e-mail had no effect on the perception of warmth, and in fact had a negative effect on the perception of competence.<br /><br />"The study also found that when the participants were asked to respond to e-mails on formal matters, their answers were more detailed and they included more content-related information when the e-mail did not include a smiley," Glikson said.<br /><br />"We found that the perceptions of low competence if a smiley is included in turn undermined information sharing," she said.<br /><br />In another experiment, the use of a smiley was compared to a smiling or neutral photograph. The findings show that in case of a photograph, a smiling sender was perceived as more competent and friendly than a neutral one.<br /><br />However, when an e-mail on formal work-related matters included a smiley, the sender was perceived as less competent. The smiley did not influence the evaluation of the sender's friendliness, researchers said.<br /><br />The team also found that when the gender of the e-mail writer was unknown, recipients were more likely to assume that the e-mail was sent by a woman if it included a smiley.<br /><br />However, this attribution did not influence the evaluation of competence or friendliness.<br /><br />"People tend to assume that a smiley is a virtual smile, but the findings show that in the case of the workplace, at least as far as initial 'encounters' are concerned, this is incorrect," Glikson said.<br /><br />"For now, at least, a smiley can only replace a smile when you already know the other person. In initial interactions, it is better to avoid using smileys, regardless of age or gender," she added.<br /><br />The study was published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science. <br /></div>