The trend of using abbreviations in text messages has increased significantly and a recent study made a shocking revelation related to this.
As per The Guardian, psychologists analyzed messages from over 5,000 participants across eight studies and discovered that individuals who used abbreviations were seen as less sincere and were less likely to receive responses.
These findings suggest that sending a quick “hru?” might not appear as sincere as taking the time to write “How are you?”
The authors wrote in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, “While abbreviations can save time and effort, our research suggests that they may also hinder effective communication and negatively influence interpersonal perceptions.”
Furthermore, the study revealed that people who used abbreviations received fewer responses, and the replies they got were shorter.
The authors further wrote, “Abbreviations make senders seem less sincere and recipients less likely to write back. These negative effects arise because abbreviations signal a lower level of effort from the sender.”
In one experiment, people who received messages filled with abbreviations responded with shorter replies, hinting at a feedback loop that trims text even more.
Although the researchers used real-world data for their findings, some psychologists have raised doubts about whether abbreviations are really problematic as suggested.
