Today, somebody asked me why I used exclamation marks in the subject of my e-mails, because they received an email from me (through one of the University webmail accounts that I manage) which ended with an exclamation mark in the title.
I laughed. Initially, I didn’t think this was a serious question at all.
But the person didn’t budge.
I hadn’t really thought about it. It was evident, however, that there was genuine curiousity behind how I could compose a seemingly “official” e-mail with an exclamation mark. So I attempted to explain the funda behind this act with the first piece of logic that came to my mind.
If I remember accurately, what I explained was that I felt a duty to make people open the e-mails I send out to them. See, if I’m putting effort into writing something, it’ll be nice if some people atleast open the e-mail. It’s pretty clear that individuals interested in the subject-matter will open it. But if someone who has absolutely no interest in the title opens it because of a catchy title or an exclamation mark I’ve used, who am I to stop that, honestly.
Might as well exploit the way the human brain responds to exclamation marks.
This ridiculously well-researched article takes a look at how exclamation marks work and how many you need to seem genuinely enthusiastic about something.
In conclusion, I think it’s safe to say that I’m the world’s worst click-baiter.
Tejas Rao 