Next time you second-guess ending a conversation with an emoji, think again. New research shows people who use emojis in their digital conversations tend to have more sex than those who shun that form of communications.

Long gone are the days of face-to-face communications and conversations via a telephone. Today people use mobile devices for everything including finding partners. But digital communications create challenges as people get to know each other. Meanings can easily be lost in translation, especially when communicating via text. With correspondence between partners now less emotional and limited, navigating the dating scene can be difficult.

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Yes, emoji use will get you a second date

Given the pervasiveness of digital communications, researchers at The Kinsey Institute set out to see how using emojis to communicate impacts human connections and whether or not it can help budding relationships. Their findings, published in the journal PLOS ONE suggest emojis help potential partners maintain a connection beyond the first date and have more sexual interactions.

To come to that conclusion researchers at The Kinsey Institute engaged in two studies. In the first study, they looked at using emojis in dating and whether or not more frequent emoji use led to better interpersonal connections. Relying on a large sample of more than 5,000 single adults in the U.S. the scientists studied the motives behind the emoji use, looking at whether it was used to find a potential mate or to have more sex.

"Nearly 30% of this U.S. national sample of adult singles used emojis/emoticons regularly with dates, and most reported doing so because they provide a better outlet for self-expression than strictly text-based messages," the researchers wrote in a press release highlighting the results. "Importantly, emoji/emoticon use was associated with more first dates and more frequent sexual activity over the last year."

Emoji use linked to increased intimate connections

In the second study, the researchers looked at whether the frequency of emoji use with potential dates resulted in more intimate connections and whether or not the two remained in contact. The researchers found the use of emojis helps maintain connections after the first date and resulted in more sexual behavior. "Those who used emojis more with potential partners prior to the first date were more likely to have engaged in intimate behaviors with that person, and were more likely to have established a relationship with this person," the researchers concluded.

More research needs to be done

While there is now evidence that using emojis will boost your dating odds rather than sink them, the researchers did caution more research has to be done. The studies look at people sending emojis but it didn't gauge how those emojis were interpreted by the receiver.

"We cannot determine whether more emoji use leads to more dates and sex or vice-versa, however, it is clear that there is a significant association," the scientists said. "While we might speculate that emoji use is an extended feature of those with traits that have been linked to better quality relationships, such as greater levels of emotional intelligence, future longitudinal studies will be able to more precisely answer this question."