When people chat online, they use facial expressions and emojis to show what they really feel—and sometimes to hide it.
Researchers note that online conversations can reveal more about hidden emotions than spoken words alone. Across many cultures, there exists a notion of the “correct” emotional response, a social script that tends to shape how people react, even when their true feelings differ from the outward display. In online interactions, a simple gesture of gratitude or a polite greeting can be performed even when the recipient shows little concern, and a friendly tone might be kept during a cold or tense meeting.
Moyu Liu from the University of Tokyo, along with collaborators, explored whether these same social rules apply to digital communication. To investigate, the team recruited 1,289 participants who regularly use Simeji, a widely adopted emoji keyboard in Japan. This choice reflects how people increasingly rely on small digital symbols to convey emotion in every corner of online life.
Participants supplied demographic details and answered questions about subjective well‑being. They also reported how frequently they used emoji in daily communication. Then they were presented with messages framed in various social contexts and asked to respond as they would in real life. Finally, they rated how intensely they felt and expressed their emotions in those exchanges. The goal was to map how emoji use correlates with perceived emotional honesty and social dynamics across different relationships.
The study found a clear pattern: people tend to express more emotion through emoji in private conversations or with close friends, where trust and intimacy are highest. Expressions of intense feelings were more restrained when addressing individuals of higher status or authority. When people did feel the urge to reveal their true sentiment, they often paired strong emotion with a measured display—smiles or friendly faces to cushion the impact of uncomfortable feelings. Negative emotions tended to show up in emoji only in circumstances where those feelings ran particularly strong. Importantly, expressing emotions through emoji was linked to a higher sense of subjective well‑being compared with those who hid or softened their genuine emotions behind emojis.
As online communication becomes a more permanent fixture of daily life, researchers caution that the ease of digital messaging might draw people away from their authentic emotional states. They pose questions about whether online spaces offer a secure refuge for sincere emotional expression, and whether future platforms could support open, unfiltered sharing without fear of judgment or misinterpretation. The findings invite reflection on how people balance honesty and tact in digital conversations while maintaining personal well‑being and social harmony.
In light of these insights, it becomes clear that emoji and text together shape social perception in meaningful ways. The way someone chooses to display emotion beside a message—through a smiling emoji, a wink, or a somber icon—can amplify or temper the message’s impact. Understanding these dynamics helps explain how online dialogue can feel both intimate and detached at once, underscoring the ongoing tension between authentic feeling and social performance in the digital era.
Earlier explorations by archaeologists noted that some pre‑Columbian urban centers possessed what researchers described as democratic tendencies, and those observations suggested these cities sometimes endured longer than others. This historical snippet offers a reminder that social structure and emotional expression have long influenced how communities organize, communicate, and persevere across generations. In the modern, connected world, the same principles—how people express themselves, how others react, and how those interactions build a sense of belonging—continue to shape online life just as surely as they did in ancient public spheres. (citation: Frontiers in Psychology)”)