Study Links Emoji Use to Emotional Intelligence and Relationship Attachment Styles

Research finds frequent emoji use correlates with higher emotional intelligence and secure attachment, while avoidant attachment is tied to reduced emoji use.

A study of 320 U.S. adults found that people with higher emotional intelligence tend to use emojis more frequently in digital communication.
Participants with secure attachment styles were more likely to use emojis, while those with avoidant attachment styles used them less often with friends and romantic partners.
Women were generally found to use emojis more often than men, particularly in messages to friends and family, but avoidant attachment reduced emoji use for both genders.
Men with avoidant attachment styles sent fewer emojis to romantic partners, though this pattern did not affect how often they received emojis.
The study highlights how emoji use in virtual communication can reveal underlying emotional and relational tendencies, though its findings are limited by the homogeneity of the participant sample.