The effects of perceived social status and context valence on the inference of message senders’ emotions and facial expressions from emojis
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Contemporary smartphone users frequently exchange emoji-laden messages, often interpreting the sender's psychological intent through these symbols. This study examined how perceived social status and emotional context affect the interpretation of emoji-based digital messages. Across three experiments, participants read messages containing crying or smiling emojis embedded in negative, neutral, or positive contexts. In Experiment 1, participants judged the similarity between the crying emoji and the sender’s facial expression. In Experiments 2 and 3, they inferred whether the emoji matched the sender’s actual feelings. Results showed that individuals with low-perceived social status were highly reactive to negative emotional contexts, often interpreting emojis as sarcastic or emotionally incongruent. In contrast, high-status individuals applied more stable, socially symbolic interpretations across conditions. These patterns were observed across both crying and smiling emojis. Findings suggest that perceived social status shapes sensitivity to emotional cues and interpretation flexibility in computer-mediated communication. Implications include the need for more intentional design of emotional messaging systems and guidelines for effective emoji use in hierarchical or emotionally ambiguous digital interactions.
Authors: Dahye Han, Guk-Hee Lee
Institutions: Seoul National University, Kyonggi University
Language: English
Subfield: Human-Computer Interaction
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,880
OpenAlex ID: W4413242571