Emojis do more than add flair to texts and posts – they reveal who you are.
A new study by Sheila M. Kennison at Oklahoma State University, published on April 23, 2025 in the journal Current Psychology, finds that emoji use on social media and texting reflects gender-specific personality traits.
Men who frequently use emojis tend to score high in Machiavellianism (i.e. deceitful manipulation), while women heavy on emojis often exhibit narcissism.
“The more frequent use of emojis by men who report higher Machiavellianism may reflect a communication strategy focused on conveying information to impact the receiver’s point of view,” the researchers note.
Unlike simple emotional cues, emojis signal strategic motives, offering insights for fields like marketing and psychology.
Emojis as Gendered Personality Markers
Since their 1999 debut, emojis have evolved into tools for expressing emotion, politeness, or humor, but their use varies by gender and personality.
The study examined 285 undergraduates, assessing emoji frequency across 40 common emojis (20 positive, 20 negative) and in social media posts and texts.
It explored Big Five traits (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, openness), Dark Triad traits (Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy), and sensation seeking. Women used emojis more than men, aligning with social role theory suggesting women prioritize rapport-building.
For men, high Machiavellianism (deceitful manipulation) and neuroticism drove emoji use, while for women, narcissism (self-focused ego) was key.
A Detailed Survey of Emoji Habits
The study involved 285 undergraduates (135 men, 145 women, average age 20.1, 70% White) who rated emoji use on a 5-point scale for 40 emojis, new social media posts, replies, and texts.
Personality was measured using Saucier’s 1994 Big Five questionnaire, Jones and Paulhus’s 2014 Dark Triad scale, and Hoyle et al.’s 2002 sensation-seeking scale.
The researchers found that women used emojis more often than men in every category.
They also found that men who use emojis a lot tend to be more manipulative and emotionally unstable (neurotic), while women who use them frequently are often more self-focused (narcissistic ).
Extraversion correlated with positive emoji use for both genders, but only narcissism and agreeableness were significant predictors overall.
Implications for Digital Communication
The findings reveal emojis as markers of strategic communication. “The more frequent use of emojis by women who report higher levels of narcissism may reflect a communication strategy focused more on impression management,” the study suggests.
This could inform targeted advertising or personality profiling in hiring, especially in roles valuing social influence.
The study’s focus on young U.S. students suggests caution in generalizing, but its novel Dark Triad findings open new research avenues.
Future studies could explore cultural variations or actual post analysis to deepen these insights, illuminating how emojis reflect gendered motives in our digital age.
Study Details:
- Publication: Current Psychology
- Publication Date: April 23, 2025
- Title: “Gender Differences in Emoji Usage: Relationships with Personality Traits”
- Authors: Sheila M. Kennison, Maria Andrea Hurtado Morales, Katie E. Nelson, Eric Chan-Tin
- DOI: 10.1007/s12144-025-07816-w