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I personally don’t mind an exclamation point. In my written communications with colleagues, sources, friends, and family, I let my feelings guide my employment of the punctuation mark. Can it be overdone? Of course! (See paragraph below.) But I’ve always felt that a well-positioned exclamation point can speak volumes about my intentions and motivations, whether or not my tongue is well-positioned in my cheek.
And now science backs me up! Sort of!
Exclamation points in digital communications may cause users of the emphatic marks to come across as more-feminine and warm, according to recent research. But message recipients may also see exclamation mark users as less powerful or lacking in analytical thought. And these perceptions seem to hold no matter the gender of the exclamation point user.
Read more: “Your 🧠On Emoji”
Researchers at three business schools across the United States tested the effects of exclamation points on a variety of recipients of messages sprinkled with the punctuation marks. They published their insights (in a paper titled “Nice to meet you.(!) Gendered norms in punctuation usage”) in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.
Their findings, gathered from thousands of participants, included that messages sprinkled liberally with exclamation points were more likely to be from an assumed female sender, that women were more likely to prefer messages with exclamation points and to see them as a norm in communication than men, and that messages with exclamation points were more likely to be seen as warm and enthusiastic, but also less analytical and powerful.
“We further find that the decision to use exclamations does indeed shape social perception, leading to more positive impressions overall but also some negative concerns,” the authors wrote in reference to this latter insight. Interestingly, the qualities attributed to the sender of these exclamatory messages did not differ depending on their gender.
So there appear to be some trade-offs in using exclamation points in digital communication, within the workplace and beyond. Whether or not you employ them depends on how powerful, warm, analytical, or feminine you want recipients to perceive your message. Choose wisely! 
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Lead image: Photo Veterok / Shutterstock
