Less 'ily', more 'idrc': abbreviations can convey insincerity, study finds

Reducing your texts to a flurry of abbreviations could have unintended consequences, according to researchers who found that wordless exchanges were more likely to convey "idrc" than "ily".

- Ian Sample

Psychologists analysed messages from more than 5,000 people across eight studies and found that those who used abbreviations were deemed less sincere and were less likely to receive responses as a result.

Abbreviations have increased dramatically in the era of digital messaging, and have become the default for quickfire communication in close-knit groups, but the findings suggest that dashing off a swift "hru?" may not seem as genuine as taking the time to spell out "how are you?"

"While abbreviations can save time and effort, our research suggests that they may also hinder effective communication and negatively influence interpersonal perceptions," the authors wrote in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.