This article was co-authored by Nicolette Tura, MA and by wikiHow staff writer, Sophie Burkholder, BA. Nicolette Tura is an Empowerment Coach based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Through her work, Nicolette helps high achievers discover their true potential and grow personally. She recently founded the non-profit Celestial Wellness Network and started a musical project, The Feather and Stone. With over ten years of experience in nonprofit leadership and running her own wellness business, Nicolette combines her background in psychology, mindfulness, and psychophysiology to create profound change. Nicolette has hands-on experience as a Therapy Associate, and has worked with patients recovering from neurological disorders. She offers one-on-one coaching tailored to each client's needs, with options for short-term, transformative engagements. Her personalized coaching sessions help individuals break free from self-limiting beliefs and achieve their goals. She completed a 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher certification and is a NASM Certified Corrective Exercise Specialist. She holds a BA in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master’s degree is Sociology from San Jose State University.
There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
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Does your classmate really love your new bag? Is the gas station attendant actually having the best day of their life? Thanks to sarcasm, it's not always easy to tell. Fortunately, even though sarcasm can be super subtle, there are still easy ways to detect it. Follow the tips below to find out whether someone really means what they're saying or if they're just trying to be ironic. Plus, we spoke with life coach Nicolette Tura to find out how to deal with sarcastic people when they’re using sarcasm to be cruel or unkind.
How to Identify Sarcasm
Look for a nonverbal cues like a smirk, eye roll, or deadpan expression. You can also tell if someone is being sarcastic with verbal cues like changing the pitch of their voice or exaggerating certain syllables, e.g. saying I’m soooo excited when the opposite is true.
Steps
Community Q&A
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QuestionWhat if it's just someone passing by talking to their friends and I hear them say something about me?Community AnswerEither ignore it or calmly confront them about it. Just say something like, "Did you just say my name?" or, "Are you talking about me?" If they say no, just let it go. It's just gossip, and it's not worth getting upset over.
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QuestionIf some say there is enough room in the car, and I reply yes, how would you take it?Community AnswerIt depends entirely on your tone of voice and/or facial expression. If you just said "yes" neutrally, it would seem you're simply agreeing with them.
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QuestionDoes this apply to both genders, and all ages?Tom De BackerTop AnswererYes, the tips that are given in this article apply to all genders and ages.
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Tips
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Irony and sarcasm are often mixed up. Keep in mind that irony points out the absurdity of something, but sarcasm is meant to be somewhat hurtful.[10]Thanks
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Being sarcastic also gets confused with being sardonic, which takes on a much more mocking or cynical tone, and doesn’t include any irony.Thanks
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Improve your ability to tell if someone is being sarcastic by engaging in active listening, watching films and television shows with sarcastic characters, or asking friends to point out to you when sarcasm is being used.Thanks
Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about human behavior, check out our in-depth interview with Nicolette Tura, MA.
References
- ↑ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-science-of-sarcasm-yeah-right-25038/
- ↑ https://tfcs.baruch.cuny.edu/sarcasm/
- ↑ http://socialcommunication.truman.edu/attitudes-emotions/sarcasm/
- ↑ https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2018.00056
- ↑ https://www.englishclass101.com/blog/2019/08/16/american-body-gestures/
- ↑ https://www.technologyreview.com/s/608387/an-algorithm-trained-on-emoji-knows-when-youre-being-sarcastic-on-twitter/
- ↑ https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/9cad/478afb6856ee59e5d799109b16b1d331ba81.pdf
- ↑ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-surprising-benefits-of-sarcasm/
- ↑ https://screenrant.com/friends-chandlers-most-hilarious-sarcastic-one-liners/
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