(SOUTH BEND, Ind.) Researchers at the University of Notre Dame have identified a group of texts and emojies that people use when they don’t really want to hear from or respond to you.
Dr. Stephen Rickles, who led the research team, said a personal experience got him to thinking that people tend to use a certain group of emojis when they’re not interested in talking to people who constantly contact them on their devices.
“I know that, personally, I have used certain emojis when someone who thinks I am a friend of theirs contacts me and the last thing I wanted to do was engage with them,” he said. “So we decided to study the issue and it turns out lots of people do it.
Here is the list of the five most common responses and emojis used when someone really wants you to stop bugging them:
“Haha”
Thumbs-Up emoji
Smiley Face emoji
“Nice”
“Gotcha”
“While not universally the case — there may be people who respond to your texts with one of these words or emojis who really doesn’t have much of a personality and that’s all they know — it’s generally true, my team found, that these are most commonly employed when you’re the last person the person you contacted wanted to hear from.”
Rickles said his team also came up with a recommendation that would help people avoid being victimized by the thought of being rejected or ignored with a thoughtless emoji.
“Stop contacting that person, that’s your best best,” he said.
