People prefer using 'haha,' emoji over 'LOL' to laugh online, Facebook study finds

NEW YORK -- The common internet acronym "LOL" may not be so common anymore, as more and more people prefer to use "haha" and emoji online, according to a study conducted by Facebook.

Researchers analyzed Facebook posts and comments from the last week of May that contained written laughter. The study, released last week, found that more than half of Facebook users surveyed most commonly posted "haha," while nearly 34 percent preferred using emoji to express their excitement. About 13 percent preferred "hehe," while less than 2 percent most commonly used "lol."

Overall, about 15 percent of users who posted or commented that week included some form of laughter, according to the study. About 46 percent of people posted only a single laugh during the one-week span, and 85 percent posted fewer than five laughs.

So what does your preferred e-laugh say about you?

The study found women use emoji much more often than men, while men most commonly posted "haha."

Young people also preferred emoji and "haha," while "hehe" and "lol" were more popular among older users, according to the study.

Geographically, "haha" and "hehe" are more popular on the west coast, while emoji is particularly popular in the Midwest and some southern states. "Lol" also found some support in the south, as well as California. People from Chicago and New York City preferred emoji, while "haha" was most popular in Seattle, San Francisco, Phoenix and Boston.