What's in an Exclamation Mark?

"In a recent study focussing on exclamation mark usage in message communication, it was found that it is often thought as being gendered. Receivers of messages containing multiple exclamation marks tend to assume that the writer is female. Interestingly, such an assumption is likely to be correct, as it has previously been found that more women tend to use exclamation marks than men."

"Is there warmth in exclamation marks? Previous research findings have shown that exclamation marks make comments seem generally more positive. People also use them to make judgments about the sender's emotional state. Exclamation marks tend to be associated with a happy sender, whilst the lack of using exclamation marks can lead to a perception of the sender as being apathetic."

Written communication is a key part of everyday life. People send roughly 25 billion texts, over 140 billion WhatsApp messages, 376 billion emails, and about 1.1 billion social media posts daily. Multiple exclamation marks prompt receivers to assume the writer is female. Research finds women use exclamation marks more than men, possibly to make messages seem warmer and create a more positive impression. Exclamation marks make comments seem generally more positive and lead recipients to judge the sender as happy. A lack of exclamation marks can lead to perceptions of apathy.

Read at Psychology Today