Aspies For Freedom

Scientists in Israel have cracked the complicated cognitive code that determines whether individuals are able to understand sarcasm. Yes, right.

No, really. The findings, published today by the American Psychological Association, could provide vital clues to the best way of helping people with autism and Asperger’s syndrome, as well as those with some forms of brain damage, to improve their communication skills.

Simone Shamay-Tsoory, the psychologist who led the research, said the study aimed to determine how people distinguish between a speaker’s words and a speaker’s intention. “Only then can you really understand sarcasm,” she said.

Dr Shamay-Tsoory and her colleagues at the Rambam Medical Centre in Haifa and the University of Haifa studied the reaction of brain-damaged and healthy people to a series of stories recorded by actors.

The study included 25 participants with prefrontal-lobe damage, 16 with posterior-lobe damage and 17 healthy subjects.

Dr Shamay-Tsoory said the findings could provide vital assistance in the rehabilitation of some patients. However, she noted that the research threw little light on the popular national stereotypes of the English as highly sarcastic and the Americans as totally lacking in irony.

“I’m not sure this study implies that people who don’t get sarcasm have brain damage,” she said, tactfully. “Maybe they just have problems understanding other people’s state of mind.”

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050524/as...778654.asp

Its strange that the title of the article is about a pill, as there is no pill at all, just a study on the working of the brain.
Personally I do understand some sarcasm, but if it is from women who are being bitchy then I find that very difficult to pick up on. If the sarcasm is part of a joke then I usually see it.

If someone is speaking sarcastically to me then I rarely pick it up.  This could be why when I am being sarcastic, nobody else picks up on it and I can send them away believing things that aren't true.

[I can't think of any examples that spring to mind though.]

The same goes for me, to some extent. And then I also, according to one of my class"mates", speak pretty similarly no matter the situation, (not neccessarily monotonous; I simply speak in the same "range" pretty much all the time) so it can be hard to know whether I'm serious or not.

I shall keep that in mind, should I ever be exposed to any besides my mom on a regularly basis. But then, maybe I don't really need to, as I manage to spot the meaning behind what my mom says pretty easily a lot of the time. (but my semi-paranoia towards her also results in a couple of false alarms now and then)

I get it only when something is explicitly meant to be sarcasm. Examples: some shows on Comedy Central, Dave Barry's columns, Daria. Nobody gets my sarcasm either, except my Aspie friend. (and I don't get his.  :lol: )

I can spot sarcasm when another person speaks in a sarcastic tone but it's harder when it is in writing or they sound really serious. I'm also known for quite a sarcastic sense of humour at times.

Can't  imagine anyone thinking Americans are lacking in irony. My favorite television cartoon series as a child were the sarcastic ones. The British do have a reputation for understatement, which is often the joke in itself... extreme understatement.

Does a sarcastic tone sound somewhat higher than a person's regular tone of voice to anyone else?  I can detect sarcasm in some people but not others.

or it seems that some words are made longer when the person is being sacrastic.  -- or they use a distinct pattern of words.

example:  "OHHHHHHH,  WEEEEEEEEELLLL now.  Why don't you just ...........................?...."  seems to be the precursor to some sarcastic statements but often people have me fooled.

If I took some sarcasm pill, nobody would be able to understand what I was trying to tell them because I would be speaking sarcastically all the time.

I'm quite cynical already.

Be careful handling me, I may cut you with my razor-sharp wit.

If the tone of voice rises and falls drastically, then I know what's being said is sarcastic. It's not all that difficult; you just have to break it down to concrete terms. I'm a little slow, but I can do it.

I'm often told by people that I am "blunt to the point of rudeness".  I have trouble understanding that when you speak truthfully, you need to sugar-coat it with small lies to avoid offending people.  Why can't they just accept I mean no disrespect, and am actually trying to help/offer constructive criticism?  Even after nearly half a century living amongst the NTs, I still can't see how their society manages to function when it is based on everybody lying all the time.
Alison

Not always...some people use a very dry, deadpan tone when being sarcastic, and keep a very straight face, so even a sarcastic person like me can be fooled.