Love to use emojis? It may be a sign of emotional intelligence

A new study has linked higher emotional intelligence to more emoji use with friends and romantic partners, while using fewer emojis could signify avoidant attachment.

The results of the study, carried out by researchers from the Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, suggested that individuals with higher emotional intelligence leverage emojis to enhance communications and build stronger relations.

On the other hand, those with avoidant attachment may use emojis less frequently to maintain emotional distance, according to researchers.

The study also found that women used emojis more frequently than men, but the difference was specific to interactions with friends and family. For both women and men, higher levels of attachment avoidance were linked to sending fewer emojis to dating or romantic partners.

Emotional intelligence is defined as an individual's ability to manage their own emotions and those of others.

Attachment styles describe how people relate to others in close relationships. They are broadly grouped into anxious, avoidant, and secure, with the first two indicative of an individual’s lack of security experienced with their primary caregiver as a child.

“The way we interact during virtual communications may reveal something more about ourselves. It is not just a smiley face or heart emoji: it's a way to convey meaning and communicate more effectively, and how you use it tells us something about you,” the authors said.

Researchers investigated associations between emoji use frequency, attachment style, and emotional intelligence across genders in a sample of 320 adults.

One limitation of the study was that the participants were mostly white, educated, married, and English-speaking heterosexual individuals living in the US at the time of the study. However, the work “opens new research avenues,” according to researchers.

“Assessing how emoji use may vary depending on communication and interpersonal skills can provide insights into who employs emojis and the psychological mechanisms underlying computer-mediated communication,” the authors said.

The paper detailing the work was published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.