How often would you say you use emojis when you text? Once a day? Every other text?
Even if your intention is just to be cute or funny, science says you might have ulterior, sexy motives under that winky face. According to a recent study by the popular dating site Match.com, singles who use emojis regularly have sex on the brain a lot more often than those who don’t use them as regularly.
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They surveyed 5,000 users on their site and found that the more frequently singles used emojis in their texts, the more they were having sexy thoughts. According to Match.com, people who use more than one emoji in every text are thinking about sex several times a day.
There may also be a correlation here between overuse of emojis and sexual frustration, but that’s just my personal opinion. I can’t think of a better way to turn off a prospective date than by flooding them with various smiley faces and eggplant pics.
However, according to this data, frequent use of emojis in texts is a relatively common practice among singles — 36 to 40 percent of those surveyed said they use more than one emoji in every text they send. This is also the same group that thinks about sex several times a day. So I suppose the real question is, which came first? The sexual eagerness or the impulsive need to shoot out tiny pictures?
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Generally speaking, emojis are becoming more and more a primary method of communication, especially among the millennial population. Millennials gravitate toward these little pictures as well as to short videos because they can say a lot without really having to say anything at all. It’s why apps like Snapchat and Vine are so catchy — they allow you to be hyper expressive using mere seconds of moving imagery. Thus it makes sense that singles (who are predominantly of the millennial generation) would use emojis to flirt rather than wordy texts.
So what emojis are the single kids using to get their flirt on these days? Here are the most popular ones, according to Match.com:
1. The “winky face”
By far the most favored, 53 percent of women and men claim to use this emoji.
2. The “blushing smiley face”
A little discrepancy here: 41 percent of women use this smiley face compared to only 33 percent of men. I suppose guys telling us to “smile” finally worked…
3. The “kissing winky face”
Slightly bolder than just the wink alone, this one is used by 24 percent of women and 30 percent of men.
And believe it or not, there are emojis that Match singles would never dare to use while textually flirting. Those that got the highest votes were the “see no evil” monkey (31 percent), the “lipstick kiss” (34 percent) and the “sassy girl” emoticon (39 percent). Because apparently nobody likes a sassy girl on a first date.
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So yes, using emojis seems to denote some level of excitement, especially if you’re trying to appeal to someone you like. But does that mean it’s always sexual excitement? Of course not. Or at least that’s what I’ll be telling myself the next time I get 12 emojis in one text from my soon-to-be mother-in-law.
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