Why Ending a Message With a Period Might End Your Relationships

Oh the times, oh the customs. Who’d ever think that something as small as a tiny dot in your text message could be fatal? Our inventive minds interpret text conversations however they like. That’s why you should think twice before putting a period at the end of your messages.

Bright Side is here to save your texts and relationships.

1. You seem less sincere.

A study conducted by psychologists from Binghamton University found that texts without periods were perceived as more genuine. The participants were teenagers whose task was to read short text messages that did and didn’t have periods at the end. Although the period was disapproved of in digital texts, everything was fine in written ones. If you still want to use a punctuation mark, let it be an exclamation point to appear more excited.

2. You can come across as passive-aggressive.

The period can make your text perceived as something aggressive, even if you don’t mean it to be. The thing is, this punctuation mark is overly final, and its use is simply unnecessary. It doesn’t serve a grammatical function because it’s clear when the text is over.

3. You may sound indifferent.

We can’t see each other while exchanging texts, which is why we lack those clues that let us guess someone’s mood. A study conducted by several psychologists revealed that responses with a period at the end looked less enthusiastic. What’s more, it can also be seen as abrupt. For example, saying “no.” shuts down the discussion, while “no...” lets it continue.

4. You might be seen as remote.

Using a period at the end might look quite formal for a text message. So it’s fair to say that the level of formality determines punctuation. Oftentimes, people use a period with a rhetorical meaning to emphasize or convey other emotions.

What’s your take on using the period? Do you put it at the end of your texts?