句号用在一个意思或想法的结束处，这在语法中是一个重要的原则。

But text messages are changing the rules, as a new study finds digital messages ending with one aren't sincere.

但是短信的使用正在改变这些规则。最新研究表明，带句号的短信显得不真诚。

The results suggest skipping punctuation altogether, as it indicates you are answering spontaneously and heartfelt.

该研究认为，发信息时应该略去所有的标点符号，因为这样才显得你的回复自然、走心。

怎样发短信更真诚？多用感叹号吧

Binghamton University’s Harpur College observed 126 students, who read a series of messages displayed as texts on a screen or handwritten notes on loose-leaf paper, which were similar to notes students passed around before texting was available.

美国宾厄姆顿大学哈波学院对126名学生进行了试验，让他们阅读显示在屏幕上的短信或者写在活页上的便签（类似短信出现前，学生们传信息时常用的那种）。

In the 16 experimental exchanges, the sender’s message contained a statement followed by an invitation phrased as a question such as, ‘Dave gave me his extra ticket. Wanna come?’

在这16组试验中，发送者发出去的短信含一个陈述句及一个问句邀请，比如，“戴夫把多出的一张票给我了，你去吗？”

The receiver then gave a one-word response like ‘Okay’, ‘Sure’, ‘Yeah’ or ‘Yup’.

收信者给出一个词的回复，比如“好啊”、“当然可以”、“嗯”或者“好哒”。

Half of the participants’ responses were with a full stop and the other half did not use it.

受试者中有一半人的回复以句号结尾，另一半则没有。

Based on the responses, text messages that ended with a full stop were rated less sincere than text messages that did not end with a period.

根据反馈，以句号结尾的短信被认为不如不带句号的真诚。

The students who read the notes on the paper reported that full stop or not, they felt the message was sincere.

而阅读便签的受试者则认为，不管有没有句号，内容都是一样的真诚。

These results suggest that punctuation can misconstrue or influence the meaning of text messages.

该结果表明，标点可以使短信的意思被曲解或受到影响。

The study concludes, ‘not so much that the period is used to convey a lack of sincerity in text messages, but that punctuation is one of the cues used by senders, and understood by receivers, to convey pragmatic and social information.’

研究总结道，“与其说句号使短信显得缺乏真诚，不如说标点是发送者使用、接受者所理解的线索之一，这种线索透露出实用的交流信息。”

‘Texting is lacking many of the social cues used in actual face-to-face conversations,’ said Celia Klin, associate professor of psychology and associate dean at Binghamton University’s Harpur College.

“短信中少了许多面对面交流才有的交流线索，”宾厄姆顿大学哈波学院副院长、心理学副教授西莉亚·科林如是说。

‘When speaking, people easily convey social and emotional information with eye gaze, facial expressions, tone of voice, pauses, and so on.’

“面对面讲话时，借助眼神、面部表情、语调、停顿等线索，人们能很容易传达出交流信息和情绪信息。”

‘People obviously can't use these mechanisms when they are texting.’

“很明显，发短信时没有这些媒介。”

‘Thus, it makes sense that texters rely on what they have available to them -- emoticons, deliberate misspellings that mimic speech sounds and, according to our data, punctuation.’

“因此，发送方就需要依靠现有的东西——‘表情符号’、‘借用错别字拟声’以及我们刚刚通过数据指出的‘标点符号’。”

Recently, Klin’s team conducted a follow-up study and found that text response with an exclamation mark is interpreted as more sincere.

最近，科林的团队还进行了一个补充研究。研究发现，带有感叹号的回复被认为更真诚。

‘That's not surprising, but it broadens our claim,’ said Klin.

科林说：“这一点并不奇怪，而且还进一步扩充了我们的研究成果。”

‘Punctuation is used and understood by texters to convey emotions and other social and pragmatic information.’

“发信息者用标点符号来表达感情和其他实用社交信息。”

‘Given that people are wonderfully adept at communicating complex and nuanced information in conversations, it's not surprising that as texting evolves, people are finding ways to convey the same types of information in their texts.’

“鉴于人们非常擅于在聊天中传达复杂和微妙的信息，所以不难预测，随着短信的发展，人们将会找到能在短信中传达以上信息的手段。”

Vocabulary

loose-leaf paper：活页纸

misconstrue：曲解；误会