Are you thoughtful? Grateful? Or just very, very busy. The answer may be within you email logout.

This week, the Journal of Experimental Psychology found that people who use acronyms in their digital communications are less friendly and less likely to get a response. This is bad news for anyone who likes to end their emails with ‘BW’.

When letters were our only form of written communication, the rules were clear about when to use “Sincerely” (if you knew the person’s name) or “Best Regards” (if you didn’t). But now the average British sends 144 emails per dayThere are no official guidelines on what is appropriate. Therefore, the ending we personally choose can reveal a lot about us subconsciously.

Dr. is a psychologist who specializes in human behavior. “We can tell a lot about personality and leadership style by looking at how people choose to communicate, and emails are no exception,” says Rachael Molitor. “Because of the recency effect, the way you end your email can be more important than the way you greet someone or even the content of that email.”

Memorable signatures have always been about more than finishing a message. When Winston Churchill He declared war on Japan in 1941 and signed a letter to the Japanese Ambassador “Your obedient servant, Winston S Churchill.” When asked about it later, he said, “It doesn’t cost anything to be polite.”

So whether you’re a “Best Regards” type or an irrepressible “Cheers!” – here’s what your email signature says about you.

Warm and fuzzy: Best wishes, Best wishes, Best regards, Best regards, etc.

“The person who prefers this signature is generally tolerant and approachable,” says Dr Molitor. “They try to strike a good balance between the personal and professional and enjoy developing a positive relationship with their colleagues.”

However William Hansonetiquette coach and author Good Behavior OnlyHe says you still need to tread carefully. “It’s great to be warm and fuzzy if that’s your ‘real life’ relationship with that person,” he says. “This type of signature would be appropriate if you greet this person with a social kiss or hug. But if you don’t, stick to something more formal.”

Hanson also hates tributes, no matter how warm they are. “Sincerely, it’s a very cold word. Pasting an adjective such as ‘kind’ or ‘warm’; It doesn’t help improve it on the front end. This is an email signature that should be thrown in the trash.”

Forever grateful: Thank you very much, With gratitude, etc.

“This signature shows someone who is thoughtful and empathetic,” Dr Molitor says. “They probably like to feel valued and appreciated, so they want to extend that. “It’s also a pretty smart move because when people feel appreciated, they’re more likely to do what you ask of them.”

Hanson is also a fan of this popular signature. “These are good catch-all phrases that maintain politeness and maintain some kind of barrier,” he says. “They often appear at the bottom of professional emails. However, non-Brits should note that emails can sometimes be captioned with a passive-aggressive ‘thank you very much’ without any intention of thanking them.” At the time, he looked a bit like a modern version of Churchill’s “obedient servant.”

Helen Morris Brown is a business psychologist and coach who says 90 percent of her clients struggle to find the right tone in their emails. “Gratitude signature is especially preferred by American customers,” he says. “I recently received an email that ended with ‘With gratitude and appreciation,’ and I responded with reflection, because that’s the best thing you can do when you’re not sure how to sign someone via email.”

Formal: Best regards, Best regards, etc.

“This type of person tends to be quite realistic, very thoughtful and perhaps have a corporate role,” says Dr Molitor. “We see this more in the older generation. They’re probably quite formal in other areas of their lives, preferring to maintain order and boundaries.”

If in doubt, the formal approach may be the way to go. “When you don’t know the person at all, but know their first name and designate the salutation as ‘Dear Sir/Madam Last Name,’ yours remains a heartfelt way to end an email or letter,” says Hanson. “This signature is often overlooked by many people writing their first email to someone new and needs to be brought back.”

Busy: KR, BW (or nothing)

“Such abbreviations can indicate someone who is very busy and hectic, or someone in a leadership role who respects hierarchy and likes to show it,” says Dr Molitor. “Reception can go one of two ways; some people may be annoyed that the sender didn’t take the time to type out all the words, while others may be grateful that this busy and important sender took the time to send the email.”

“It can feel very abrupt for an email to end this way,” says Morris Brown. “This could very well be interpreted as a personal slight, and I don’t think many people like that.”

Hanson wasn’t impressed either. “Why bother? Clearly the person thinks so Jeff Bezos – Amazon is famous for sending single-character emails to its employees – but this shows a lack of complete respect for the recipient,” he says. “The sender is obviously a bit of a stoner. “If this person’s life is so busy that they don’t have time to press a few extra buttons, they need to re-evaluate their approach to life.”

Bezos says he uses single-character emails to briefly communicate with his staff when he wants a complaint investigated. But surely few people can claim to be as busy as the billionaire e-commerce giant.

Informal: Cheers, See you later!, Have a nice weekend, etc.

“In the right context, for example between friends and family and colleagues at the same level as you, then I think this type of signing is friendly and fun,” says Dr Molitor. “It can reflect trust and a harmonious attitude.”

“These are fine, but only after a certain level of familiarity has been established between the emailing parties,” says Hanson. “I don’t need a complete stranger instructing me to have a good weekend or to ‘keep laughing’.”

God knows what Hanson will do about it generation Z NightyEight, the social media agency that went viral tiktok After sharing the currently rotating email signing process among their 20-something employees. One signed his letters saying “that’s all”, another simply wrote “hehe, goodbye”, and the third probably paid tribute. Matthew McConaughey – went: “okay okay okay”. One NightyEight employee chose to end his emails with these memorable words: “Fuck you, I’m out.”

Similarly, the CEO of Fox & Robin, an activewear company that claims to “hire only Gen Z,” shared emails from employees signed “Hasta la pasta,” “don’t cross me,” and “speak up.” soon, loser”.

“I would only opt for an informal signature if I knew the person very well and was 100 percent sure how the joke would turn out,” says Morris Brown.

What about the “X” factor? Should you ever sign your emails with a kiss? “Context is everything when it comes to being informal in this way,” says Morris Brown. “If you kiss that person in real life, you could potentially make an ‘X’, especially if emails are flowing, which is more like text messages going back and forth. But a long string of X’s would be very unprofessional. If they sent you one and you want to reciprocate, you can.”

“The same goes for using emojis in emails. Bottom line, if you’re unsure about a signature, don’t take risks, especially at work.”

Best regards then.