Science says: emojis in emails are detrimental to your career

My complicated relationship with emojis goes way back. In high school, I found the boy with a line from a Guns N’ Roses song behind his MSN name (yup, MSN) much more interesting than the one with a whole bunch of smiley faces. I was already a bit put off by excessive emoji use back then, and I still feel that way. Understandable according to scientists, as emojis influence your reputation.

I now maintain a policy of tolerance. At first, I hated WhatsApp for the abundance of all those yellow creatures, but now I just ignore them. I even use them myself there, although I do so in moderation. I still prefer to type ‘hahaha’ if you're really funny, rather than laughing my head off in the form of a yellow face. Although I am a fan of the so-called ‘smirk’, which sometimes captures my mood a bit better. But what do you do when it comes to a business relationship? Do you send a cheerful, crooked face with a sticking-out tongue to the CEO or not?

The scientists from Tel Aviv University have a clear answer: just don't do it if you care about your reputation and see a rising trajectory on your career ladder. Keep those yellow creatures under control, as it reflects on you when you send an email filled with emojis. By the way, in this case, it's not just about those yellow critters, but about all visual expressions. People who frequently use images in their communication seem to be seeking social closeness. And that desire and the search for validation can be detrimental if you plan to climb within an organization.

Honestly, do you take the co-worker who expresses themselves in words more seriously than the jovial colleague who illustrates a proposal with a bunch of emotions? The more pictures, photos, and emojis you throw over the fence at work, the less powerful colleagues perceive you. And that ultimately affects your reputation. It doesn't stop at an emoticon; the research zoomed in on photos in emails, illustrations on T-shirts under zooming, and thus that smiley face in a business email. It's quite simple: with every emoji you send, people see you as a little less powerful, while they rate colleagues who never do this higher.

Food for thought. Still think twice before you illustrate that invite for a meeting with a smiley plus party horn.

Source: rtlnieuws.nl