FYI, Using Smiley Faces In Work Emails Make You Look Incompetent

Sorry, not sorry :)

It's 5:45 p.m. and you're about to get off work. Suddenly a slew of emails rush into your inbox and they must all be answered before you leave.

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You're pissed off because you're hungry and you don't want to stay late, so you begin answering emails at warp speed. You realize your tone is a little short because, let's face it, you hate sending these emails. So you add a little smiley face to keep the email breezy and casual.

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Well, guess what? According to a new survey, that smiley face is going to make your coworkers think you're incompetent.

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In the new study, "The Dark Side of a Smiley," researchers from Ben-Gurion University and the University of Haifa found that, "contrary to actual smiles, smileys do not increase perceptions of warmth and actually decrease perceptions of competence."

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Not only do the smileys affect your perceived competency level, but participants in the study were less likely to share information with those who sent smiley faces in their email.

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So maybe it's time to stop adding a smiley at the end of your passive-aggressive emails. And while we're at it, let's cut down the exclamation marks to one per email, yeah?

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