A Bournemouth University study suggests emojis may be processed by the brain like real faces.
Researchers used EEG brain monitoring to explore how people respond to digital expressions compared with human facial expressions, with one group shown pictures of faces and another shown emojis displaying happiness, anger and sadness.
The team then compared the electrical activity recorded across both groups and found clear similarities in the brain’s response, with PhD student Madeline Molly Ely saying emojis triggered “neural response patterns similar” to those involved in processing real human expressions.
According to the study, these reactions happened quickly in both cases, usually within 145 to 160 milliseconds, and the similarity matched activity in regions of the brain linked to face processing, suggesting emojis can work as meaningful emotional signals during online interaction.
The findings have been published in the journal Psychophysiology, with researchers saying the results may make people think differently about using symbols such as 😂 or 😡 in everyday messages.
