Chatting without emojis makes you appear less close, research shows

Emojis don't necessarily make you more likeable when chatting in a messenger app, but they do increase the chances your friend will feel closer to you, new research shows. — Photo: Jörg Carstensen/dpa

AUSTIN: One little laughing face or heart can go a long way to improving your relationship with the person at the other end of your chat app, according to new research showing that emojis can increase how satisfied and close two people feel in their friendship.

Communication scientist Eun Huh from the University of Texas at Austin examined how people in the US assessed the responsiveness of their counterparts in digital communication and the role emojis played in this context.