Why you should think twice before using shorthand like ‘thx’ and ‘k’ in your texts

Abbreviations like ‘brb’ and ‘plz’ may seem benign. But new research shows they can make senders appear less sincere – and even undermine budding romances.

By: David Fang, Stanford University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: April 19, 2026

Words: 1,190

Last Updated: 3 weeks, 6 days ago

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By David Fang, Stanford University

My brother’s text messages can read like fragments of an ancient code: “hru,” “wyd,” “plz” – truncated, cryptic and never quite satisfying to receive. I’ll often find myself second-guessing whether “gr8” means actual excitement or whether it’s a perfunctory nod.

This oddity has nagged at me for years, so I eventually embarked upon a series of studies with fellow researchers Sam Maglio and Yiran Zhang. I …

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