Emotions communicated through text chat are ‘contagious’

It is said that instant messaging is devoid of emotions and fails to communicate what you are feeling, but a new study suggests that just as with talking face-to-face, the emotions communicated via instant messaging are contagious.

The person could also assess their online partner’s mood.

During the study, involving 44 pairs of volunteers, the participants were asked to chat online for 15 to 20 minute, find out more about each other, and discuss something that was worrying them.

One person in each pair was also asked to view watched either a harrowing scene from the film Sophie's Choice, or a clip from another film depicting small talk. The researchers observed that each participant could accurately assess their partner''s mood, reports New Scientist magazine.

Moreover, those paired with someone who had watched Sophie's Choice felt sadder than before the chat.