Westend61

Emoji use is a complex art. Don't use emojis enough? You're a cold, calculating sociopath with no understanding of fun. Use emojis too much? You're frivolous, carefree and not worthy of respect. It's a minefield, people.

Thankfully science has come to the rescue. Researchers at The Kinsey Institute surveyed over 5,000 participants and the results were clear: People who use more emojis in online communication went on more first dates and had more sex.

With social media and apps like Tinder, written communication has taken on far greater importance when it comes to finding a potential partner. In that context, emojis can be helpful.

The study found that increased emoji use correlated positively along most steps in a relationship journey. It was uncorrelated to frequency of first dates, but correlated with increased amounts of second dates. Frequent emoji users were more likely to have kissed on dates, as well as had sex or entered into relationships with their date.

Worthy of note: Of the 5,000-plus people involved in the study, 86.8% identified as being straight and 62.2% identified as White/Caucasian. The study did not allow for assessing causality, but did state it was clear there was an association between emoji use and intimacy with dates.

"[W[e find that the use of emojis allows daters to communicate important affective information to potential partners which facilitates successful intimate connection and more romantic and sexual opportunities," stated the study.

"[T]his suggests that those who use emojis more often in this context are more successful at establishing connection and thus enjoy more opportunities for romantic and sexual engagement."

There were limitations in the study. The researchers didn't delve into which emojis were used (or not used) and didn't investigate the subtleties of emoji use (i.e. you probably don't want to be spamming eggplant emojis before the first date).

"[W]e cannot fully know which emojis are most effective at helping to form connections between people," admitted the study.

Clearly more research is required.