Texting abbreviations makes senders seem insincere, suggests a new study.
People should spell out words in full instead of shortening them if they you want to come across as genuine and receive more responses to their texts, say scientists.
American researchers conducted eight texting experiments involving a total of more than 5,300 participants.
They found, across the experiments, that people who used texting abbreviations such as ‘FWIW’ – instead of spelling out ‘for what it’s worth’ – were perceived as more insincere, and were less likely to receive replies because they were seen as exerting less effort in text conversations.
Lead researcher David Fang, a doctoral student in behavioural marketing at Stanford University, California, said: “In daily interactions, we often encounter people who could be considered good texters or poor texters.
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“We thought texters might like abbreviations because it would convey an informal sense of closeness, so we were surprised that abbreviations elicited negative perceptions about people who use them.”
Texting has become a dominant form of digital communication, and most texters use some abbreviations, including IDK for “I don’t know” or GOAT for “greatest of all time”.
In a preliminary survey by the research team, published online in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, 99% of respondents reported they used texting abbreviations, and 84% of them didn’t believe that others wouldn’t like abbreviations.
The experiments included an analysis of replies to Discord group chat users, dating scenarios, and Tinder dating app users’ conversation histories spanning 37 countries.
Other experiments included participants who rated their texting conversations with people who either were or weren’t using abbreviations.
In the experiments, texters who used abbreviations received shorter and fewer responses and were less likely to receive contact information from the other texter.
Mr Fang said that while young people tend to use more texting abbreviations, they still weren’t fans of them, although the findings were “inconsistent” in some of the studies.
He said: “While our overall results on age were mixed, it’s clear that younger people are not particularly fond of abbreviations, though the strength of this aversion may vary by age.”
Mr Fang says texting abbreviations could contribute to loneliness if people find that social bonds weaken over time because they receive less frequent or positive replies to their texts.
But he doesn’t believe people should stop using abbreviations altogether.
Mr Fang added: “We often tailor the effort we put into conversations to match the significance of the relationship.
“In some cases, it makes sense to invest less effort and accept being perceived as less sincere, like quickly texting with a delivery driver.
“However, our findings are especially relevant when we want to appear more sincere and strengthen social ties, such as at the beginning of a relationship or when we need to make a good impression.”
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