What would you think if you received this text message?

“Buy some milk”

Pretty straightforward. Nothing to bat an eye at. But what if the text read like this?

“Buy. Some. Milk.”

A little more intense, right? Does the texter need the milk immediately? Are they frustrated? According to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York, textisms like these—such as adding a period after each word or putting each word in its own text bubble—can convey emotion and intensity.