Text has no tone of voice, so people fill it in with whatever mood they’re already in.

A message arrives with no face and no voice, so the reader supplies both from whatever mood they are already in. The same three words read as friendly at lunch and cold at midnight. That is why so many arguments start over something nobody meant, and why rereading your own sent message later can be genuinely confusing.

When something matters, say it in a way that carries tone. A voice note, a call, or simply more words than feel necessary. And when a text lands wrong, consider that you may be reading your own day into it before you reply.