Shy individuals’ interpretations of counterfactual verbal irony

Abstract

Counterfactual verbal irony, an evaluative form of figurative language wherein a speaker's intended meaning is opposite to the literal meaning of his or her words, is used to serve many social goals. Despite recent calls for theoretical accounts to include the factors that influence irony interpretation (Gibbs & Colston, 2012), few studies have examined the individual differences that may impact verbal irony interpretation. The present study examined whether adults with elevated shyness would generate more negative interpretations of ironic statements.University students with varying degrees of shyness listened to stories (accompanied by comics) wherein one character made literal or ironic criticisms or compliments to another character.Participants then appraised each speaker's belief and attitude. Self-reported shyness did not predict comprehension of the counterfactual nature of ironic statements. However, shyer adults rated speakers who made ironic compliments as being meaner than did adults low in shyness.Thus, while understanding that ironic speakers intended to communicate their true beliefs, shyer individuals construed the social meaning of irony more negatively. Such interpretive biases may lead shy individuals to more frequently take offence at ironic compliments and experience more negativity in social interactions.

Socio-cultural and individual factors in verbal irony use and understanding: What we know, what we don’t know, what we want to know

“…& Lee 2004; Milanowicz & Kałowski, 2016) and age/developmental period (Banasik-Jemielniak, 2013;Banasik-Jemielniak, 2019;Banasik-Jemielniak & Bokus, 2019;Bosco & Bucciarelli, 2008;Harris & Pexman, 2003;Pexman et al, 2005;Recchia et al, 2010). Recently, emphasis is being placed on personality factors, for example, anxiety or shyness (Gucman, 2016;Milanowicz et al, 2017;Mewhort-Buist & Nilsen, 2017), cheerfulness (Bruntsch & Ruch, 2017a), or various dispositions towards humor (Bruntsch et al, 2016), among others (Kreuz & Johnson, 2020).…”

“…For example, Costa et al (2001) have reported that women exhibited greater neuroticism than men across cultures (see also Schmitt et al 2008, for similar results, Hofstede, McCrae 2004, on links between personality traits and national culture dimensions). The negative bias inherent in neuroticism and/or anxiety is, in turn, related to a more negative understanding of verbal irony as more critical or threatening (e.g., Gucman, 2016;Mewhort-Buist & Nilsen, 2017;Milanowicz et al, 2017).…”

Shy children's understanding of irony: Better comprehension does not always mean better socioemotional functioning

“…The relation between verbal irony comprehension and social functioning may be particularly salient for shy individuals who have been found to interpret irony differently than their nonshy peers. For example, shy individuals view ironic speakers as meaner than do their nonshy peers when these speakers deliver both criticisms (in a school‐aged sample; Mewhort‐Buist & Nilsen, ) and compliments (in an adult sample; Mewhort‐Buist & Nilsen, ). Similarly, 6‐ to 11‐year‐old children who show both social anxiety and shy negative affect demonstrate difficulty in appreciating other sociocommunicative behaviour that relies on mental state understanding, such as faux pas (Banerjee & Henderson, ), with this skill holding a bidirectional relationship with peer relations (Banerjee, Watling, & Caputi, ).…”