Facial expressions are a fundamental aspect of human social interaction. Whilst emojis are an extremely popular way for people to communicate, very little is known about the psychological response that they can generate.
To address this question, participants in the study were connected to an EEG (electroencephalogram) machine to measure the electrical activity in their brains. One set of participants were shown human faces, the other shown emojis. All pictures portrayed different facial expressions including happiness, anger, and sadness.
The researchers then compared the readings from the EEG machine across the two groups.
Our findings showed that viewing emojis elicited neural response patterns similar to those involved in processing real human facial expressions,” said Madeline Molly Ely, a PhD student at Bournemouth University who led the study. “This suggests that emojis are not simply fun additions to digital communication but may be processed by the brain in ways comparable to genuine facial cues. In this sense, emojis can function as meaningful emotional signals during online interaction.”
The reactions of the brain generally occurred quickly for both real and digital expressions, usually occurring within 145 to 160 milliseconds. The pattern of similarity was consistent with regions of the brain associated with face processing.
The researchers’ takeaway message is that next time you drop a smilie face or a face palm in a message, remember that your brain, and everyone else’s will be taking them seriously.
The study has been published in the journal Psychophysiology.
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