A new study has found that emojis are not perceived equally, nor are they used uniformly between genders in the workplace, and its author suggests forgoing their use in professional interactions, The Wall Street Journal reported Nov. 27.
A recent study asked 299 students to rate how positively or negatively they viewed images of 70 popular Apple emojis. It found that female participants perceived emojis more negatively than their male counterparts. Picture the ambiguous "thinking emoji" with eyebrows raised and a hand to the chin, for instance.
"Men see that as slightly positive, women as slightly negative," researcher and study author Lara Jones, PhD, told The Wall Street Journal.
Men in the study were also more likely to use emojis at work than women, using them 30 percent of the time compared to women's 24 percent.
Given the gender discrepancy in perception of emojis, Dr. Jones recommends abstaining from using emojis at work, and also suggests considering the gender of the receiver before sending.
"You might also consider the formality of the workplace," Dr. Jones said.