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Poll • What's your favorite emoticon?

Newsletter Your email address:

All people are equal. When they are happy and write email, they all look like this: :-) . When they are not so happy although they write email, they all look like this: :-( .

These are the basic smileys and emoticons used all the time in email messages to express feelings and emotions.

But life is a rich emotional experience and knows more than just three or four different states. Smileys, too, can have more than the basic faces, and they can express a multitude of emotions.

Hair and Hat

People look as diverse as their emotions. Since even people in the same mood do not look the same, their smileys should not either.

Take Claus, for example. He lives somewhere near the North Pole. But although he has little contact with others, everybody seems to like him. In his emails, Claus loves to use this smiley: *<:-) .

Or John. He sees a little more sun than Claus, but this may not be the only reason he is wearing his sunglasses all the time: 8-) .

Gina loves her sunglasses, too. They are great for keeping her hair in some shape (and out of her face) at least: B:-) .

Because Gina needs her sunglasses for her hair, she faces a dilemma when eyes literally cry for some protection. Gina has solved this dilemma in a most elegant way: B8-> (her fiancé sells eyewear).

Real-world Courtney has straight hair. But she always wanted curly hair, so one of her favorite emoticons has quickly become @:-) . When Courtney wears a hat, it consequently has to be a small hat (so you can still see her curly hair). A clown hat seem perfect: <@:-) .

Fred wears another kind of hat. It is much bigger, but it, too, indicates his profession. Fred is a chef (and proud of it): C=:-)

Ken is proud of his braces. They make you smile so much there is no need indicating that in the emoticon: :-{#} .

Brenda does not have braces in her hair, but it is a mess nevertheless (of course, being Brenda's hair it still looks good): #:-) . Brenda might try becoming a clown: <#:-) .

Tanya loves to wear her baseball cap (for the hair, right): d:-) .

Even when he visits a Baseball stadium, Thomas cannot leave his tie at home. He doesn't feel quite the man he wants to be without it. That's okay, Thomas: :-)</////> .

Maria is simply an angel: O:-) .

The Smileys in This Article

"Rationalists, wearing square hats,
Think, in square rooms,
Looking at the floor,
Looking at the ceiling.
They confine themselves
To right-angled triangles."

Wallace Stevens