It is often common for friends to make sarcastic comments while in a conversation. However, for some people, pointing out the reality can be a little bit difficult. In an experiment done in McGill's School of Communication Disorders, researchers Kathrin Rothermich and Marc Pell tested to show how well various people recognize white lies, teasing, and sarcasm.
Their study which was published in the journal PLOS ONE, unveiled that men, along with people suffering from Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, or autism spectrum disorders, have a hard time identifying non-literal speech.
Rothermich explained in a press release that people tend to believe that people tell the truth all the time, so sarcasm and white lies appear to go against our basic understanding of what "should" be happening in normal conversation. This probably is the part of what makes them challenging to recognize for some.
For this study, the researchers made 926 videos that featured short scripted scenes with actors interacting in different relationships, such as romantic partners, friends, colleagues, or a boss and employee. The actors in each scenario were asked to express sincerity, sarcasm, white lies, or teasing into the interaction. Then a group of participants were asked to watch the videos and identify the social interactions and what the actor's intentions are. They also reported which vocal and facial expressions helped them identify the social motive.
After everybody has finished, the researchers found that it was hardest to perform the scripts where they were asked to tease one another. Probably because teasing doesn't always fit easily or logically into a conversation, however one of the things that some actors did was to say the lines in an exaggerated manner or with fake accents when they were teasing.
The participants who had diseases like Alzheimer's or Parkinson's, or other neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism spectrum disorders, and men in general, found it difficult to identify the actor's intentions. The videos may probably be used in future clinical testing to determine symptoms of neurological disease and social disorders.
