海角大神

Have you typed 鈥淟OL鈥� in the past week? If so, you might be a 28-year-old woman from Phoenix, Ariz.聽

A new aimed at dissecting the demographics of 鈥渉aha鈥�-ers, 鈥淟OL鈥�-ers, 鈥渉ehe鈥�-ers, and emoji enthusiasts has found distinct patterns of usage within different genders, ages, and geographic locations.聽

The results of analyzing a week鈥檚 worth of Facebook posts and comments showed that out of the 15% of people who used some form of e-laughter to express amusement, 51% of people chose the standard 鈥渉aha.鈥� Thirty-three percent relied on emojis, and 13% channeled their vaguely mischievous side by 鈥渉ehe鈥漣ng. 鈥淟OL,鈥� the iconic acronym for 鈥渓aughing out loud,鈥� brought up the rear with a mere 1.9%.聽

鈥淟OL,鈥� once the face of teen textspeak, is now favored primarily by the oldest demographic of Facebook laughers, with a median age of about 28. Emoji smiley faces are used most frequently by the youngest subset of Facebookers, typically those in their teens and early twenties. 鈥淗aha鈥� and 鈥渉ehe鈥� occupy the space in between.聽

The study found clear preferences when it comes to gender as well. Women are more likely to use emojis and 鈥淟OL鈥�; men more likely to type out a 鈥渉aha鈥� or 鈥渉ehe.鈥澛�

Where you live may also play a role. Emojis are most frequently used in the Midwest, whereas 鈥渉aha鈥� and 鈥渉ehe鈥� thrive on the West Coast. 鈥淟OL鈥� usage is highest in Southern states, particularly in the city of Phoenix, Ariz.聽

Within these categories of e-laughter, there are additional nuances. 鈥淗aha鈥� and 鈥渉ahaha鈥� are far more common than 鈥渉a鈥� or 鈥渉ahahaha,鈥� and the same pattern holds true for 鈥渉ehe鈥� and 鈥渉ehehe.鈥澛�

In an article for The New Yorker titled Sarah Larson describes individual 鈥渉a鈥漵 as building blocks 鈥渨ith which we can construct more elaborate hilarity.鈥澛�

According to Ms. Larson鈥檚 breakdown of the 鈥渉aha鈥� hierarchy, an individual 鈥渉a鈥� is a respectful acknowledgement that a joke has been made. 鈥淗aha鈥� indicates that you鈥檙e 鈥済enuinely amused; 鈥渉ahaha鈥� that you鈥檙e 鈥渞eally amused.鈥� And 鈥渕ore than three 鈥榟a鈥檚 are where joy takes flight.鈥� 聽

But how closely do these levels of e-laughter correlate to real-life laughter? In the Los Angeles Times, Michael Krikorian that expressions such as 鈥淟OL鈥� and 鈥渉aha鈥� have evolved from their literal meanings into 鈥渢exting's go-to replies, a vaguely complimentary, vaguely condescending way to acknowledge a text has been received.鈥澛�

Krikorian compares sending a 鈥渉aha鈥� text to faking an obligatory polite laugh when somebody tells an unfunny joke at a party. Texting or online communication, with its lack of visual or verbal cues, simply makes it easier to mask the fact that you don鈥檛 actually find the joke laugh-out-loud funny.聽

Of course, some messages do elicit genuine mirth. But even these are rarely met with a real-life 鈥渉ahaha,鈥� Krikorian points out:聽

鈥淲alk down any street and people have their heads down, staring at their phones, texting or looking at texts,鈥� he writes. 鈥淣one of them is laughing out loud. They aren't even smiling. They might be typing haha or LOL, but they are not living the text, not texting the truth.鈥�