Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Science

Emojis trigger brain responses like real faces within 160 milliseconds, study finds

Facial expressions are a fundamental aspect of human social interaction. While emojis are an extremely popular way for people to communicate, very little is known about the psychological response that they can generate. A new study might make people rethink every WhatsApp or email they send. Researc...

Emojis trigger brain responses like real faces within 160 milliseconds, study finds
Image: Phys.org
Facial expressions are a fundamental aspect of human social interaction. While emojis are an extremely popular way for people to communicate, very little is known about the psychological response that they can generate. A new study might make people rethink every WhatsApp or email they send. Researchers at Bournemouth University have found that the brain reacts to emojis similar to the way it reacts to seeing real human faces.

Originally published at Phys.org

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