--- title: Work Email Smiley Faces Impact Perceived Competence: Study description: Reading a happy face in the text of a work email makes the recipient think the sender is less competent. canonical: https://time.com/4899351/smiley-faces-work-emails/ author: Julia Zorthian article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-08-14T19:38:27.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T09:28:47.134Z og:title: You Really Need to Stop Putting Smiley Faces in Work Emails og:description: The results of a study about using smileys in email may be disappointing to some og:url: https://time.com/4899351/smiley-faces-work-emails/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt179ba589d899a8c9/6988d99f4ee262c83330e90a/smiley-work-emails-less-competent-study.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4857 og:image:height: 2732 og:image:alt: smiley work emails less competent study og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: You Really Need to Stop Putting Smiley Faces in Work Emails twitter:description: The results of a study about using smileys in email may be disappointing to some twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt179ba589d899a8c9/6988d99f4ee262c83330e90a/smiley-work-emails-less-competent-study.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # You Really Need to Stop Putting Smiley Faces in Work Emails > Sponsored content. 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Worth Your Time is TIME's culture recommendation newsletter, edited by culture editor Eliza Berman. Each week it surfaces the books, shows, films and ideas TIME's editors think are worth your attention, and explains why. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Does TIME have a culture newsletter? Yes. Worth Your Time is TIME's culture newsletter, published weekly. #### Who writes TIME's culture recommendations? Culture editor Eliza Berman writes Worth Your Time, drawing on TIME's critics and culture desk. #### Is Worth Your Time free? Yes. It is a free newsletter available at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-worth-2026q3/newsletters?i=28b05331-43da-4153-852f-4e05565cd422&cr=time-nl-worth-2026q3-v1) ## Video: How to Communicate Virtually at Work [Watch (HLS stream): How to Communicate Virtually at Work](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/CrEu0hbS.m3u8) (2:25)  _Published 2017-08-11. The rise of chat apps like Slack means there are probably fewer meetings clogging up your afternoons in the office. But working with colleagues virtually can also mean it's more important than ever to choose your words wisely._  by [Julia Zorthian](https://time.com/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Aug 14, 2017 7:38 PM UTC  by [Julia Zorthian](https://time.com/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Aug 14, 2017 7:38 PM UTC [Smiley faces](http://time.com/3874264/emoticon-happy-30th-birthday/) may seem benign, but typing them in [work emails](http://time.com/4643015/unplug-work-happiness/) may be doing more harm than good. In a new study published in the journal [_Social Psychological and Personality Science_](http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1948550617720269), researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel wanted to find out whether including smileys in work emails actually has an effect on the message. “:)” really does make an impression, they found out—but not the friendly feeling an email writer may intend. Instead, reading a happy face in the text of a work email made people think that the sender was less competent if the same message did not contain the emoticon, the researchers found. Even though smiles communicate warmth and competence in person, a smiley could make the reader less likely to share as much information in their reply. **MORE**: [ The TIME Guide To Happiness](http://time.com/collection/guide-to-happiness/) “Our findings provide first-time evidence that, contrary to actual smiles, smileys only marginally increased perceptions of warmth and actually decrease perceptions of competence,” said Ella Glikson, one of the study’s authors and a post-doctorate fellow at the BGU Department of Management, in a [press release](https://www.eurekalert.org/pub%5Freleases/2017-08/aabu-ei081117.php). “In formal business e-mails, a smiley is not a smile.” The researchers conducted three experiments with 549 people from 29 countries. In one experiment, people read an anonymous work email and then evaluated that person based on their competence. Overall, messages without smiley faces led people to believe the sender was more competent than the same emails with added smileys. Furthermore, when people were asked to respond to the emails, they included more detailed information in their replies when responding to an email without smileys. “Information sharing was significantly lower in the smiley condition than in the control condition,” the study authors write, suggesting that smiley usage in emails could hinder communication in the workplace. The use of a smiley also had an effect on the perception of gender. The study found that when the sender’s identity was unknown, the participants were more likely to think emails with smiley faces were sent by a woman. (That assumption didn’t affect that person’s perceived levels of warmth or competence, though.) Glikson advises people not to let smileys ruin their only chance at a first impression. “In initial interactions, it is better to avoid using smileys, regardless of age or gender,” she said. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] So first off, what are some tips for being really efficient when you're communicating primarily through Slack and email? Clear and polite is optimal. We really want to get to the point upfront clearly and quickly, but not at the risk of being misunderstood. And so I have a few scenarios that I was hoping you'd be able to help me out with. So I am drafting an email to my editor, he made a change to one of my stories that I didn't agree with. And I'm trying to figure out the easiest way To communicate that through email. A good rule of thumb is if it is a sensitive matter, then pick up the telephone to have that interaction be more personal. And if that isn't an option, then language like, may I suggest. That can be helpful as well. That way, the other person feels that they are involved. In that you value their opinion. And there's also another situation that I would love your help with. So, I'm drafting an e- mail to my team to come up with some suggestions for a group project we're working on. Okay. So is this a efficient way to go about doing that? I like how you use we language. Instead of I, because working as a team we want to be inclusive. Using bullet points may also help, because we have a few action items for the recipients. Just makes it very clear and easy for someone to respond. And another situation I've encountered recently is there will be times when I'm on a very time sensitive deadline and I'm working with a writer or an editor and they're not very responsive. Okay. How long should I wait before I message them again on Slack? So if it's very urgent it's a matter of minutes where you can follow up with a second note And then if you still don't hear anything, you can give them a phone call. But one thing to remember is respecting people's space and time. Well, thank you so much for joining us today and sharing these tips. Thank you Lisa. It's great to be here. Check out Time. com / tech for more tips. 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