Page 1 of 1 [ 15 posts ] 

SanityTheorist
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 13 Feb 2012
Age: 32
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,105
Location: The Akuma Afterglow

15 Nov 2012, 9:24 pm

Apparently at my first therapy session there was something revealing. I sound sarcastic when I don't mean to and I don't raise my pitch like others do when asking questions. Is this a common issue for us?

I am also curious whether or not it is possible to alter intonation via conditioning.


_________________
My music at: http://www.youtube.com/user/SanityTheorist5/videos

Currently working on getting in a studio to record my solo album 40+ tracks written.

Chatroom nicks: MetalFluttershy/MetalTwilight/SanityTheorist


Aharon
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 26 Dec 2011
Age: 52
Gender: Male
Posts: 745
Location: Kansas

15 Nov 2012, 9:40 pm

My wife frequently mistakes things I say for sarcasm. She'll say I was being sarcastic, but I meant every word I said. I don't get it.


_________________
We are not so different from potted plants in that, if given everything we need to be properly nourished, the outcome can be incredibly contrary to when we are not. A flower won't grow in flour, and neither can we.


again_with_this
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 13 Jun 2012
Age: 43
Gender: Male
Posts: 780
Location: New Jersey, USA

16 Nov 2012, 2:06 am

2-way street.

Sarcasm is often conveyed with certain tones and mannerisms.

HOWEVER, context is also key.

If someone "sounds" sarcastic, but the context doesn't seem right and they may be genuine, I'll usually flat out ask "are you serious?"

Yet, for most people, if what they're hearing "sounds" sarcastic, or seems sarcastic they'll automatically assume it is. Most don't know how to deduce and factor in context. So they'll often unjustly assume the worst, when no sarcasm is really meant.

Aharon, your wife is one of those types. If it sounds sarcastic to her then in her mind it IS and she's absolutely justified in her emotional reaction, according to her reasoing.

While I can understand how Aspies may not be aware of how they come across, don't fully blame yourself, OP, as others may be quick to assume the worst.



Stalk
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 19 Jul 2012
Age: 47
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,157

16 Nov 2012, 2:42 am

It took a while for my colleague to understand that I wasn't lying or using sarcasm. But I have since learned that something as simple as my hands, tells them something else. My body language is all wrong.



Aharon
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 26 Dec 2011
Age: 52
Gender: Male
Posts: 745
Location: Kansas

16 Nov 2012, 3:26 am

again_with_this wrote:
Aharon, your wife is one of those types. If it sounds sarcastic to her then in her mind it IS and she's absolutely justified in her emotional reaction, according to her reasoning.


That is exactly true. Please expand on this if you have more. I'd like to understand her and improve our communication.


_________________
We are not so different from potted plants in that, if given everything we need to be properly nourished, the outcome can be incredibly contrary to when we are not. A flower won't grow in flour, and neither can we.


icyfire4w5
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 9 Sep 2011
Gender: Female
Posts: 621

16 Nov 2012, 3:50 am

Hi, some NTs find my voice monotonous. According to some NTs, a sarcastic tone is a monotonous tone. How's your tone? Is it generally monotonous?



Aharon
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 26 Dec 2011
Age: 52
Gender: Male
Posts: 745
Location: Kansas

16 Nov 2012, 4:21 am

I don't think I'm monotone. I think it's the sentence structure or possibly the other's disbelief I could seriously think something to be true and not sarcastic.


_________________
We are not so different from potted plants in that, if given everything we need to be properly nourished, the outcome can be incredibly contrary to when we are not. A flower won't grow in flour, and neither can we.


SanityTheorist
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 13 Feb 2012
Age: 32
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,105
Location: The Akuma Afterglow

16 Nov 2012, 9:17 am

icyfire4w5 wrote:
Hi, some NTs find my voice monotonous. According to some NTs, a sarcastic tone is a monotonous tone. How's your tone? Is it generally monotonous?


Yes; I have to manually change tone.

again_with_this wrote:
Yet, for most people, if what they're hearing "sounds" sarcastic, or seems sarcastic they'll automatically assume it is. Most don't know how to deduce and factor in context. So they'll often unjustly assume the worst, when no sarcasm is really meant.


Interesting...so most find vocal tone more important than the words themselves. That seems like a HUGE flaw.


_________________
My music at: http://www.youtube.com/user/SanityTheorist5/videos

Currently working on getting in a studio to record my solo album 40+ tracks written.

Chatroom nicks: MetalFluttershy/MetalTwilight/SanityTheorist


AtypicalFox
Butterfly
Butterfly

User avatar

Joined: 14 Nov 2012
Age: 32
Gender: Female
Posts: 16
Location: Below the Mason-Dixon line...

16 Nov 2012, 9:01 pm

Yeah, I find myself with the same issues with sarcasm as well. A lot of people think I'm being an ass or a jerk unnecessarily when I'm just being matter-of-fact, or even joking. In my mind, when I talk, I know what point I'm trying to get across, but I guess I'm not matching the correct vocal cues.



anneurysm
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 25 Mar 2008
Age: 38
Gender: Female
Posts: 2,196
Location: la la land

16 Nov 2012, 11:54 pm

I could see this happening, as a few other people I know on the spectrum have issues with their tone of voice. I think the issue with yours is that perhaps you don't have a lot of inflection in your voice. When people talk, their pitch usually shifts up and down to put emphasis on certain words, whereas yous may stay flat. I think there are ways this can be taught, though...perhaps a speech-language pathologist could assist you with this.


_________________
Given a “tentative” diagnosis as a child as I needed services at school for what was later correctly discovered to be a major anxiety disorder.

This misdiagnosis caused me significant stress, which lessened upon finding out the truth about myself from my current and past long-term therapists - that I am an anxious and highly sensitive person but do not have an autism spectrum disorder.

My diagnoses - social anxiety disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

I’m no longer involved with the ASD world.


Mouse1765
Emu Egg
Emu Egg

Joined: 24 Jun 2016
Age: 56
Gender: Female
Posts: 5
Location: Woking, Surrey, England

24 Oct 2016, 8:43 am

I have been told at work that I have been sarcastic, even when I have not been. I have not been told at work that I am believed as not being believed as apologising sincerely when I have been, and told to use specific phrases to apologise to sound sincere! Do this and I did not sound sincere!

Anyone else had this?



Mack01
Hummingbird
Hummingbird

Joined: 31 Aug 2016
Age: 41
Gender: Male
Posts: 19
Location: United Kingdom

25 Oct 2016, 4:49 pm

SanityTheorist wrote:
Apparently at my first therapy session there was something revealing. I sound sarcastic when I don't mean to and I don't raise my pitch like others do when asking questions. Is this a common issue for us?

I am also curious whether or not it is possible to alter intonation via conditioning.

Did your therapy session give you any advice on how to rectify this? You can ask us on this forum of course, but it's hard to know how to properly advise you, as you're not consciously trying to be sarcastic. Any advice apart from advising you to sound completely monotone could actually increase the image of you being sarcastic. I'd advise telling your therapists to give constructive advice that you can actually follow, instead of simply making you self-conscious.



Caesar
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 20 Jul 2014
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Posts: 519
Location: Online

26 Oct 2016, 8:13 pm

Yes, I just don't have any enthusiasm or other emotions when I speak.
The problem with though is that people either think I'm grumpy or deadpan all the time, I like usung deadpan humor but sometimes people laugh at me even though I'm not saying anything funny at all and it can be really annoying



randomeu
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 30 May 2016
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Posts: 628
Location: In the wonderful world of i dont know

04 Nov 2016, 1:09 pm

I find myself strange, i get when my family is doing sarcasm, and according to my family i am very sarcastic but im not....i mean basically everything i say unless i say its sarcasm afterwards....which ive only done like once or twice in my life.


outside my family, i dont get sarcasm at all, everything anyone says i take fully seriously, i really cant tell when someones being sarcastic.


so id say its probably fairly common, as i have no idea how to be sarcastic, yet apparently i sound like i do it to other people. dang, i think i just realised why a few things i look back on went wrong haha


_________________
AQ score: 45

Your neurodiverse (Aspie) score: 174 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 30 of 200
You are very likely neurodiverse (Aspie)


Officially diagnosed 30th june 2017


racheypie666
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 25 Aug 2016
Age: 32
Gender: Female
Posts: 3,509
Location: UK

04 Nov 2016, 1:17 pm

I have a very sarcastic sense of humour (dry Scottish wit :wink: ), but a lot of the time people think I've been sarcastic when I haven't been.

At work we're supposed to say 'madam', 'sir' etc. to customers but I don't any more because apparently I sound really sarcastic. In fairness I don't see why I should show deference like that, it's only a supermarket!

Maybe it is a tone-of-voice thing. I don't have really have a monotonous voice to my knowledge, sometimes it gets quite girlish in fact, but I have been told I have a hypnotic voice, whatever that means.