1 in 3 Daters Say an Emoji Text Led to Sex

If you’re dating in the digital age, you better brush up on your emoji knowledge. Whether you’re flirting via dating app, text, or other online platforms, emojis are likely part of your dating vocabulary. Some people use emojis to send a fun message, while others use them when they’re breaking things off.

A new survey commissioned by DatingAdvice asked Americans about their emoji use. Among other interesting findings, the survey uncovered the fact that 22% of Americans have received a breakup text with all emojis. But, on the flip side, 31% of Americans said they’ve gotten lucky after an emoji message. Here are some emoji dating stats that may surprise you.

Our survey found that just over one in five Americans (22%) have received a breakup text with all emojis.

The survey didn’t ask what the emoji messages were, but with such a wide range of emojis available, we’re sure people have brainstormed some creative emoji breakup messages. 

Men are more likely than women to have been broken up with via emoji. About one-third of men (32%) and just 13% of women have had this happen to them. 

That said, you probably shouldn’t break up with a boyfriend or girlfriend via text, according to our prior research. We think it’s safe to say breaking up with someone via text using only emojis is also a no-go. 

Everyone’s got their dating dealbreakers, but for most Americans, emoji use isn’t a roadblock when it comes to romantic relationships.

In the survey of over 1,000 respondents, three-quarters of US adults said they would date someone who uses emojis; just 25% said they would not. 

There are some interesting differences between age groups. Among people 18 to 25 years old, 85% would date someone who used emojis. Responses are similar among 25 to 34-year-olds (84%), 35 to 44-year-olds (84%), and 45 to 54-year-olds (78%). However, among respondents ages 55 to 64, only 66% would date someone who uses emojis. Adults 65 and older are the least likely to date someone who uses emojis, with 44% responding they would not date someone who uses them. 

A separate 2022 survey from Adobe found that  “73% of those surveyed believe that adding emoji to your messages makes you cooler, friendlier, and funnier.” Who doesn’t want to come across as cool, friendly, and funny to a potential date? 

Our survey asked respondents about which emojis they use when communicating with dates. The red heart emoji ( ❤️) was the most popular response, which 50% of surveyed daters say they use. It’s closely followed by the kiss emoji ( 😘), which 47% say they use. 

Other popular emojis include the lips emoji ( 👄), which 25% of surveyed daters use. The tongue emoji ( 👅) is used by 18%, and the lipstick emoji ( 💋) is used by 14%. The eggplant emoji ( 🍆), black heart emoji ( 🖤), and peach emoji (🍑) all come in with 12% of respondents who say they use these when communicating with a date.

Nearly three in 10 respondents say they don’t use any emojis when communicating with a date. 

You might use emojis to show off your sense of humor, but not all emojis are created equal. 

A Match survey conducted in 2022 found that “one-third of the singles surveyed were opposed to receiving or sending one or more of the following emojis:”

• the girl with palm raised (💁‍♀️) — this is usually used to communicate sassiness or sarcasm
• red lips (💋)
• see-no-evil monkey (🙈) — per Emojipedia, it’s often used as a playful way to convey a laughing, disbelieving, cringing I can’t believe what I’m seeing! or I can’t bear to look!

Though it wasn’t included in the Match survey, we’d also say it’s a good idea to avoid the poop emoji ( 💩) or the vomiting emoji ( 🤮) when you’re talking to a potential date. No one needs to think about that when they’re looking for romance.

If you don’t know what some of these emojis mean, Emojipedia can help you out. These online messaging experts have analyzed the data and concluded that the red heart emoji is typically used to express affection, gratitude, or appreciation. So, if you receive one of these from your date, it’s a good sign!  

The kiss emoji is a good one to send or receive in the dating world. According to Emojipedia, it “may represent a kiss goodbye or good night and convey feelings of love and affection more generally.” 

Feeling spicy? You could send the hot pepper emoji as a fun way to communicate that. If you’re feeling particularly bold and the conversation is taking a sexual turn, you could send the eggplant emoji. Per Emojipedia, it’s widely used to represent a penis. Maybe throw in a peach emoji, which is usually used in a flirty or sexual context. Emojipedia’s research suggests 33% of tweets use the peach emoji as a shorthand for butt, and 27% have sexual connotations.

Different platforms may have different popular emojis that users prefer. According to Emojipedia, the eyes emoji experienced a 40% increase in usage in global Tinder bios in 2021. The following year, Tinder reported the top trending emoji globally was the P symbol. “Originally known as the parking symbol, 🅿 has been repurposed to represent Pushin P,” Tinder shared. “Members turned to 🅿 to let the world — and their matches — know ‘positivity’ and keeping it real is exactly what they’re looking for.” Other emoji-related findings from Tinder’s Year In Swipe report found that the red flag ( 🚩) and gaslighting ( 🌫) emojis were also trending. 

Our survey also uncovered another interesting finding: 31% of respondents have gotten “lucky” from a creative emoji text. You can think about that next time your finger is hovering over the keyboard, wondering if it’s too bold to send that kiss emoji. You never know — you could get lucky because of your emoji skills! 

Men are more likely than women to have gotten lucky via emoji text at 43% vs. just 19% for women.

This finding from the most recent survey supports other research previously published by DatingAdvice. A 2022 study found that emoji texting correlated well with sexual experience. “Single individuals across all demographics who regularly used emojis in texting in 2014 were more likely to have more sex than single individuals who did not use emojis,” according to a Match.com survey. 

In other words, add an emoji to that text! It just might end up with you getting lucky. If you’re looking for inspiration, check out our suggestions for nine sext-worthy emojis. We’ve got the classics, such as the aforementioned eggplant and peach emojis, but you can get creative with the hands or sweat drop emojis. The only limit is your imagination, so get creative!  

Survey Methodology: A national online survey of 1,036 US consumers, ages 18 and older, was conducted by Propeller Insights on behalf of DatingAdvice.com in 2023. Survey responses were nationally representative of the US population for age, gender, region, and ethnicity. The maximum margin of sampling error was +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.