Emoji hearts are the little black dress of the text — so simple and yet so versatile. While we all have our go-to favorites, how do the majority of Instagrammers use each one? Thanks to a new Instagram emoji heart study that Wired revealed, we can decode the meanings of each color and find out how people are getting their heart on. This is especially crucial since Instagram started allowing you to tag photos with emoji — because crystal ball + snake + lipstick + blue heart actually means something, you know?
For the emoji obsessed, this revelation only points to a future with less words and more images. There are infinite ways to express like, love, lust, and desire, so the logical next step is colors and shapes picking up the slack where language leaves off. And now that there are LGBT emoji (which are used by more Americans than any other nationality thank you very much), your hearts aren't assumed to be hetero. Add that to the keyboard made entirely of emoji and the fact that even official White House documents translated into emoji are a thing, and, well, it only means more noisemaker/confetti + rocketship + yellow heart. According to Instagram Engineering, here are the most common contexts in which each colored heart appears.
Blue Heart
The blue heart is big for Duke sports fans and those who support Autism Awareness. Incidentally, it also brings up a lot of romantic water shots, so tropical honeymooners, take note. #Ibleedblue (for whatever team you're obsessed with) is a common hashtag that accompanies the heart, but a few naughty folks use it to tag their BDSM predilections, too.
Green Heart
The green heart is for falling in love with St. Patrick's Day, (sigh), and for green, earthy affection. Those who are into organic food and supplements use this one a lot to let you know they're going green, too.
Yellow Heart
The yellow heart is pure, bright, springy love. Happiness, wildflowers, and all that good stuff comes with this sunshiney expression of connection.
Purple Heart
The purple heart is the most glamorous of the bunch. Words like "sparkle" and "shimmer" are often along for the ride, so for this one's for the fashionistas and those who live life in vibrant shades.
Pink Heart with Stars
The pink heart with stars is overwhelmingly used to get Instagram followers with #s4s and #cwd. I guess it's like wearing your heart on your sleeve, hoping someone else will notice and become entranced by your twinkling awesomeness.
Pink with Triple Hearts
Three hearts overlaid on top of one other is the go-to for gorgeousness. "Curvy" and "peachy" ladies show off body positive self-love — and the outfits that they love too much to describe with a single heart.
Heart on Envelope
This emoji is sometimes used for love letters, but mostly it's about payments and orders from all those awesome app-only shops that bleed your bank account dry. Apparently, you can buy love, (but only on Instagram).
Images: Tumblr; Instagram Engineering
