To the point: the gender divide over exclamation marks

Shocking! Women use exclamation marks three times more often than men, according to a new study.

Punctuation is a “fraught and contentious business”, said Melanie McDonagh in London’s The Standard . The study, due to be published in November in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology , delves into the gender divide plaguing exclamation marks – the current “battleground” in the world of punctuation.

Exclamation marks have been found to convey a sender’s warmth and enthusiasm, but also lead to a perceived lack of power or an inability to think analytically. “That’s a particular gender stereotype you don’t want to play into,” said McDonagh.

‘A grammatical whoopee cushion’

Ultimately, exclamation marks are “suggestive of a bright smile” and a “non-confrontational stance” – a st