Using abbreviations in texts may save time, but come with a cost, according to a new study.
Research published by the American Psychological Association found people who spelt out words in text messages, instead of abbreviating them, were perceived as more sincere and received more responses.
Lead researcher, Stanford University doctoral student David Fang said texting had become a dominant form of digital communication and most texters used some abbreviations.
Mr Fang said, however, those who did were perceived as more insincere and were less likely to receive replies because they were seen as exerting less effort in text conversations.
“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.”
Mr Fang said in a preliminary survey, 99 percent of respondents reported they used texting abbreviations and 84 percent of them didn’t believe that others wouldn’t like abbreviations.
He said in subsequent experiments, texters who used abbreviations received shorter and fewer responses and were less likely to receive contact information from the other texter.
“While young people tend to use more texting abbreviations, they still weren’t fans of them.”
He said texting abbreviations could contribute to loneliness if people find that social bonds weaken over time because they received less frequent or positive replies to their texts.
Mr Fang said he didn’t believe people should stop using abbreviations altogether.
“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.”
Read the full paper: Shortcuts to insincerity: Texting abbreviations seem insincere and not worth answering.
