The slightly smiling face (🙂) is generally friendly, but more neutral than the others. However, it can also be used in a passive-aggressive context, as if to say “that’s fine,” when a person really isn’t happy with something. [1] X Research source The grinning face smiley (😃) is used to communicate general happiness and good cheer. [2] X Research source The grinning and squinting smiley (😆) conveys amusement and laughter. [3] X Research source The smiley face with smiling eyes (😊) adds a more genuine touch to the basic smiley, expressing warmth and happiness. [4] X Research source The smiling face with open hands (🤗) can be used to communicate either warm, happy feelings (like you want to give the person a hug) or excitement (as though you’re doing jazz hands). [5] X Research source
Use the smiley face guide above to add nuance to your message. Stay more reserved with the slightly smiling face (🙂), or use the smiley face with smiling eyes (😊) to add some extra sincerity. [6] X Research source
The winking emoji (😉) can be used to tease, or be coy with your crush. The heart-eyed emoji (😍) and the kissing emoji (😘) allow you to be more straightforward in showing your texting partner how you feel about them.
If the other person texts you a smiley face to start the conversation, you could text back “Hey!” or “Hey! What’s up?” using a waving emoji, followed by a question mark emoji and a hand pointing up. (👋❓👆) If you’re texting your crush, you could use your reply to subtly suggest a movie date using just emojis. (🎥🍿❓)
If you have an idea of the other person’s sense of humor, try pairing the photo up with a joke or pun. Send a picture of yourself using a funny Snapchat filter—or, if you’re trying to flirt, use a cute filter instead. Don’t send anything too provocative until you get to know the person better, and you know that they’d be okay with that. Sending intimate photos before the other person is ready can really sabotage a relationship![10] X Research source
When a friend’s smiley face text makes you happy, send a GIF of someone going to hug another person—or, even better, a GIF of animals cuddling. When in doubt, everyone loves cute animals! You can also send a flirty GIF of someone waving, or winking, to get your crush’s attention.
Try bringing up an interesting or funny story by texting back, “Hey! 😊 You’ll never BELIEVE what happened on my run yesterday. ” Ask something open-ended that can’t just be answered with “yes” or “no,” such as: “What was the best part of your day today?” Asking the other person a question is a surefire way to keep the conversation going. When in doubt, people are usually happy to talk about themselves!
To respond positively, text something like, “Hey there! Thanks for the 😊, right back at ya!” To turn someone down nicely, say, “I’m flattered, but I’m just not interested. ” If you’re not sure what the other person is trying to communicate, just ask! “Hey, I saw your text! What’s up?”[13] X Research source
A simple emoji text might not require an answer! If you have nothing else to say at the moment and you know the other person won’t read the wrong thing from your silence, just leave it at that. Alternatively, if the person who texted you is genuinely being creepy and inappropriate, you don’t owe them a “Sorry, I’m not interested” text. You can just block their number and move on. [14] X Research source
If you got this person’s number through a dating site, then a smiley face text is probably being used to get your attention, and lead into some flirting. If you’ve just asked a friend or coworker for a favor, then they’re sending a smiley face to indicate that they’re happy to help. Whatever you do, avoid asking for an outsider’s interpretation of the text. Someone who doesn’t know the details of your relationship with your texting partner is even more likely to misinterpret their texts![16] X Research source Just interpret the text as best you can, and talk to your texting partner if you need clarification on something.
