If you want to gain attention on social media, it’s less about who you are and more about how you express yourself. A new study published in Nature Human Behaviour shows that emotional language — including the use of emojis — has a much stronger impact than neutral or purely factual communication.
The research team led by Yizhang Zhao from Tsinghua University in Beijing analyzed around 2.1 million posts and interactions on WeChat, China’s largest social media platform. More than 2,200 participants, all members of Generation Z, were included. Their online behavior was linked to detailed data on personality, education, and family background.
The results were striking: It’s not background or character that drives reach, but expressiveness.
While demographic and personal traits explained less than 10% of differences in engagement, the style and emotional diversity of expression accounted for up to 49%. Posts that conveyed a range of emotions — joy, pride, frustration, sadness, surprise, or reflection — received significantly more likes and comments.
Further experiments confirmed the effect: Those who communicate with emotional variety and use emojis deliberately tend to trigger empathy and resonance among their audience — the main drivers of attention.
But there’s a catch: The effect fades quickly. Users who lose emotional depth or change their tone soon see their engagement decline.
The researchers summarize it clearly:
“Attention online is easy to get, but hard to keep.”
For campaigners, communicators, and brands, the message is clear:
If you want to be heard, you have to be felt. Emotion isn’t a stylistic choice — it’s a strategic asset.
Source:
Zhao, Y. et al. (2025). Nature Human Behaviour, DOI 10.1038/s41562–025–02323–1