In modern dating, some unspoken rules can contribute to the success — or premature demise — of an early-days courtship. Most of us know the classics — don’t bring up exes in conversation too early, be available (but not too available) when making plans, and when it’s time to pay on the first date, at … Read more
Eating your veggies? Thumbs up. With computerized records and messaging through patient portals, some doctors have traded their infamous chicken scratch handwriting for easier-to-decipher hieroglyphics. And a new study aims to understand emojis’ emerging use within the medical profession, specifically clinical notes and patient portal messaging. As part of their work, researchers from University of … Read more
A new batch of emojis has been approved for iOS 26. Surprisingly enough, Apple or Google isn’t the ones that decide which emojis come to your phone. That’s the job of Unicode Consortium, a nonprofit that maintains the Unicode Standard, the universal character encoding system that ensures text and emoji appear consistently across platforms and … Read more
Emojis can improve relationships, according to new research. Using the digital representations of emotions and ideas in text and social media messages boosts closeness and relationship satisfaction by complementing face-to-face interactions, say American scientists. Although emojis are highly prevalent in texting and social media, no previous studies had looked at their potential as a tool for … Read more
Cherries, apple, lemon? A child safety expert has revealed the possible second meanings behind those seemingly innocent emojis your children are using — and moms and dads might be shocked by what they really infer. “Fruit emojis have various meanings, some a little more lewd than others,” said Aneeca Younas of FindMyKids, a parental control … Read more
Smiling at Gen Z? Better watch your back. What used to be the universal symbol of warmth and joy has taken a sinister turn — at least in the eyes of Gen Z. The classic smiley face emoji now means something completely different to those under 30. Instead of conveying happiness, the grinning yellow face … Read more
Your favorite emoji might reveal more about you than your therapist. According to a new study published in the journal Current Psychology from Oklahoma State University, your emoji habits might be a window into your soul — and not necessarily the pretty part. Researchers surveyed 285 undergraduates — mostly around 20 years old — asking … Read more
iPhone users have new ways to express themselves. The latest iOS 18.4 update quietly released eight new emojis for Apple devices, including a harp, a shovel, a fingerprint, a tree, a flag and a radish. However, there is one image in particular that has captured people’s imaginations: An “exhausted” emoji that features dark under-eye bags, … Read more
A picture — or an emoji — tells a thousand words. Amit Kalley, the founder of the organization For Working Parents, has issued an urgent warning to parents about the secret meanings of smartphone emojis that could be used by children to convey “sinister” messages. “The unregulated internet can be very dangerous for our children,” … Read more
A 5-year-old boy is devastated because he was covered by an emoji in his official class photo. After his mother’s attempt to protect his privacy online, and a series of miscommunicated messages with the school, the final photo makes his exclusion awkwardly obvious. “It’s all my fault. Nothing I can offer or say will make him feel better,” the Sydney mom … Read more
If you love to use emojis, you’re going to heart this news. Researchers from Indiana University say those who use a lot of emojis tend to have higher emotional intelligence, which is the ability to understand, perceive and manage your emotions and the emotions of others. Less emoji use with friends and romantic partners is … Read more
Looks like we’ve got some bad apples. iPhone users are creating inappropriate emojis using Apple’s new Genmoji feature. The generative AI emoji tool allows iPhone users to generate custom emojis using simple text prompts. Genmoji — a generative AI emoji — allows iPhone users to generate custom emojis using simple text prompts. Apple However, since … Read more
Four in 10 Americans believe a text feels naked without an emoji, according to new research. The survey of 2,000 Americans (aged 21+) revealed 41% of respondents believe a message needs to include an emoji to be complete. Younger respondents were most likely to agree with this statement: 70% of Gen Z said emoji needed … Read more
Emojis are part of our day-to-day conversations, though sometimes they can get lost in translation. There are often misunderstandings through emojis when communicating between generations, but there are also different meanings for some emojis across different cultures and countries. “People can attach all sorts of different second meanings to these little pictures,” Noël Wolf, a … Read more
Do you know what these emojis mean? Emojis have become a fun and quick way to communicate, but they can often cause confusion due to varying uses across cultures and generations. A new report from language education platform Preply found that 81% of Americans have been confused by someone else’s use of an emoji. Findings … Read more
Can you decipher these ancient hieroglyphics? In the age of hyper-evolving tech, the innovative emojis of today make those of yesteryear — read: 20 to 30 years ago — seem digitally prehistoric. Whether it’s texting your pals or drafting social media posts, a bevy of incredibly detailed emojis for every occasion are right at our fingertips, … Read more
Tone can be difficult to discern and easy to misconstrue in a text message and according to mental health professionals, three little words can trigger an onslaught of anxiety. The top-tier text offender to send someone with anxiety? “Can we talk?” Licensed marriage and family therapist Alex Oliver-Gans tells HuffPost, “The ambiguity and lack of … Read more
The modern-day portrait is the Emoji Lisa. Lauren Edelstein has pulled countless all-nighters layering thousands of emojis on top of each other on her iPhone to create wacky celebrity portraits made entirely of the popular images usually relegated to social media and texts. “A lot of them I’ve worked on for months,” Edelstein, 38, told … Read more
An emoji used in a post-sex text message sparks widespread bafflement on Married At First Sight with clueless producers left no choice but to desperately recruit a Zoomer as the show’s new expert to decipher its hidden meaning. Speculation explodes at Wednesday’s dinner party about the cyber hieroglyph, with the group tossing up two translations: … Read more
They’re giving emojis a thumbs down. Gen Xers and baby boomers understand the meanings behind the digital icons, but they are not confident in their ability to use them, a new study from the University of Ottawa has found. “We found that older users are less likely to use emojis, use fewer emojis, and feel … Read more