Story perspectives

Study: Emojis Impact Workplace Professionalism and Perceptions

4/10/2026

Summary

Story summary

The University of Ottawa conducted a study showing that workplace messages without emojis are perceived as the most professional.
Negative emojis significantly harm perceptions of competence and appropriateness, especially with neutral or positive messages.
Positive emojis can boost competence when congruent with messages but do not consistently improve sender perceptions.
Gender dynamics influence judgments, with women judging negative emojis from female senders more harshly.

1 of 1

Story summary

The University of Ottawa conducted a study showing that workplace messages without emojis are perceived as the most professional.
Negative emojis significantly harm perceptions of competence and appropriateness, especially with neutral or positive messages.
Positive emojis can boost competence when congruent with messages but do not consistently improve sender perceptions.
Gender dynamics influence judgments, with women judging negative emojis from female senders more harshly.