Differences in Politeness Perception of Irony and Prosocial Lies: Exploring the Role of Age, Gender, and Geographic Location

In daily interactions, individuals use irony and prosocial lies for various reasons, for example, to be humorous, to criticize, or to be polite. While some studies have examined individual differences in perceiving the politeness of such language, research using naturalistic, context-rich materials is lacking. To address this gap, we utilized short videos to assess politeness perception in literal, ironic, and prosocial lie scenarios while also exploring differences based on age, gender, and geographical location. Our sample included 288 participants from the United States and the United Kingdom. We focused on five different types of language: literal positive, blunt, sarcastic, teasing, and prosocial lies. Participants rated the politeness of these statements and completed surveys on communication preferences (Self-Reported Sarcasm Questionnaire and Conversational Indirectness Scale Questionnaire). While the demographic groups showed similarities, individual factors also shaped politeness perception. Older adults perceived teasing as less polite than middle-aged and younger adults, and male participants rated blunt and sarcastic statements as more polite. Geographical variations were found for prosocial lies, with U.K. participants rating them more polite than their U.S. counterparts. These findings underscore the importance of considering context-rich materials and individual factors in understanding the social functions of irony and prosocial lies.