The most popular emojis of 2021 – despite Gen Z disapproval, ‘face with tears of joy’ is still the top choice

80 per cent of the top most used emojis in the world in 2021 expressed positive emotions, an annual study by Facemoji Keyboard reveals

The use of Covid-19-related emojis – a medical syringe, toilet paper – increased in 2021, but the ‘face with tears of joy’ was the most used emoji this past year

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The most popular emojis of 2021 expressed positive emotions, like laughter, love and affection. Photo: Getty Images

Published: 6:15pm, 9 Jan 2022Updated: 10:30am, 11 Jan 2022

Despite the coronavirus pandemic and political and economic uncertainty the world over, texters in 2021 preferred to keep it light when it came to the emojis they used.

An annual study by Facemoji Keyboard – an app developed by Chinese tech company Baidu – shows 80 per cent of the most used emojis in the world expressed positive emotions like laughter, love and affection.

The “face with tears of joy” continued a six-year streak of being the most used emoji this past year, despite being deemed “uncool” by Gen Z users, according to the “State of Emoji” report.

Other heavy hitters included the “rolling on the floor laughing” emoji, the heart, and a sobbing face. The “pleading face” (the one that looks like puppy dog eyes) jumped into the top 10 most used icons for the first time.

The “face with tears of joy” continued a six-year streak of being the most used emoji this past year. Photo: Shutterstock

The study also included the most used emojis for different messaging and social media platforms. Perhaps surprisingly, the heart emoji was less likely to appear in dating apps like Tinder, Hinge and Bumble, with users opting instead for the sweaty laughing face, or a blushing face.