Wanna bag more dates and have more sex? First, you need to get aquatinted with emojis. 

People who use emojis frequently when messaging potential love interests get more dates, have sex more frequently and secure more second dates than those who do not, new research suggests.  

The study, published in the journal Plos One, looked at emoji use among more than 5,300 single American adults who identify as straight, gay/lesbian or bi. Participants were aged 18–94 years, with a mean age of 42. 

Participants were asked how frequently they you use emojis in messages to a potential date, plus their motivations for using emojis.

Respondents said they think emojis give text messages more personality (53%), they make it easier to express feelings (23.5%), they are faster and easier than writing a full message (19.9%), and because they are trendy/are used by other people (12.5%).

[Read More: The Times’ Emoji Explainer Is Our Favourite Thing Ever]

They were then asked how many first dates they have gone on in the last year, plus how many times that had had sex —as defined by the participant— in the last year.

“Emoji/emoticon use was associated with more first dates and more frequent sexual activity over the last year,” the researchers said. “We demonstrated that people who use emojis more often may be better at forming connections with others.”

As part of the project, a second, smaller study involving 275 single American adults looked at whether emoji use was more or likely to secure someone a second date. Participants were aged 18–71 years, with a mean age of 30. 

Again, emojis seemed to have the desired effect; those who used emojis more often with potential dates reported a greater number of second dates. This second study also confirmed the key findings of the first: using emojis was again associated with more frequent sexual activity over the past year, plus a greater number of sexual partners over the past year.

Unfortunately, the study authors did not look at the specific type of emoji sent, so it’s impossible to know whether a shameless aubergine or a cheeky wink is key to upping your pulling power. The study also didn’t ask people how they feel when they receive an emoji, and of course, they won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.

It’s unclear why emojis are linked to greater dating success, but the researchers suggest it could be because they are helping us to clearly communicate sexual desire. 

“Emojis appear to be an important aspect of social behaviour in today’s digital world that can be used strategically as affective signals, particularly in the domain of human courtship,” they said. 

So what are you waiting for? 🍆😉🍑🎉