Facebook has launched a new ‘Reactions’ feature as an extension to the ‘Like’ button.

As of Thursday morning, Australian users are able to express one of five emotions when responded to a post instead of a simple thumbs-up.

The new reactions, represented by emojis, allow users to express love, amazement, laughter, sadness or anger.

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The social networking giant announced the global rollout of the feature in a post on its newsroom on Thursday (AEDT), claiming to have conducted “more than a year” of research.

See the new Reaction emojis below:

The feature was tested in Ireland and Spain in 2015 before the global rollout.

“We will continue learning and listening to feedback to make sure we have a set of reactions that will be useful for everyone. We hope you enjoy the new Reactions” Facebook said in the statement.

Despite widespread demand from some of its users, there was no ‘Dislike’ button included in the new rollout.

Here’s what the ‘Reactions’ look like on desktop.

A frequent criticism of the ‘Like’ feature was that it did not offer users an appropriate way to react to tragedies.

Similar to ‘Likes’, the emojis will help Facebook better curate the content users see on their newsfeed, the company said. But the statement did not clarify if, for example, an angry reaction would make it more or less likely for a similar post to reappear in the newsfeed.

Facebook also claimed the new feature was a better way for businesses and publishers to understand better how the public engages with its content. The buttons will have the same effect on ad delivery as ‘Likes’.