NEWSLINK: Russians use ‘love’ emoticon on Facebook more than any other

[“Russians use ‘love’ emoticon on Facebook more than any other” – San Francisco Business Times – Steven E.F. Brown- February 13, 2014 – bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2014/02/russians-love-emoticon-facebook-berkeley.html?page=all]

The San Francisco Business Times reports that the top emoticon for Russian facebook users is the love icon.  Yet researchers at Cal-Berkeley and Cambridge provide a mixed assessment of what that means:

Russians choose an emoticon expressing “love” for their messages on Facebook more than any other emoticon.

Does that make Russia a more loving nation than any other?

No, say researchers at the University of California, Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center …
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… Use of a broader vocabulary of emoticons is associated with greater overall happiness.
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“So don’t stop sending those love finches, Russia,” said [Jeremy Adam Smith of the Greater Good Science Center]. “But remember to balance them out with some bemusement, surprise, anger, and sadness.”

Click here for full article: http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2014/02/russians-love-emoticon-facebook-berkeley.html?page=all