When communicating online, people use expressions to both show and hide true feelings. These conclusions were reached by the authors of the publication in Frontiers in Psychology.
In many human societies there is a concept of “correct” feelings, independent of actual sensations. In response to a service, it is customary to thank people even if the recipient doesn’t care, and many even greet unpleasant people during the meeting.
Moyu Liu of the University of Tokyo and colleagues decided to find out if this rule applies to online communication. To do this, the scientists selected 1,289 participants, all of whom use Simeji, the most downloaded emoji keyboard in Japan.
Participants provided demographic information about themselves, answered questions about subjective well-being, and rated how often they used emoji. They were given messages in different social contexts, responded to them as they would in normal life, and rated the intensity of expressing their emotions.
Liu discovered that people prefer to express more emotion through emoji in private conversations or with close friends. Participants least expressed their feelings in relation to people of higher status. Unless people felt the need to hide their true feelings, expressions of intense emotion were accompanied by appropriate expressions: for example, using smileys to mask negative emotions. Negative emojis were used only in situations where negative emotions were felt very strongly. Expressing emotions with emojis was associated with higher subjective well-being compared to those who disguised their emotions with emojis.
“As online communication becomes more common, it’s important to consider whether this is separating us further from our true feelings,” the scientist said. “Do people need a “safe haven” to express their sincere feelings and is it possible to avoid pretending online and share their true selves?
Earlier archaeologists perceivedThat pre-Columbian “democratic” Indian cities survived longer.