You might be able to determine their motivation in the heat of the moment and react accordingly. Or perhaps you’ll wait till you’ve had more time to think before putting everything together. You’ll at least be more equipped if they tease you again, even though it is frustrating to have to come up with a clever response hours later. Your initial emotional response can provide you with some crucial direction, but it’s not always reliable and can be skewed by previous baggage, as I’ll cover below. Even though the sixth joke initially appeared to be similar to the others, if you’re hanging out with a group and have previously been teased five times that day and each time you felt included and delighted, it can mean something. It’s possible that your unconscious picked up on something that you otherwise wouldn’t have noticed. Once more, interpreting someone’s nonverbal cues does not always result in a clear reaction. Like when someone has good intentions yet delivers a line in a terribly dry, deadpan way. Some people have the ability to make jokes about the most heinous, vicious acts. However, you may often glean information from someone’s demeanor and speech tone. Making fun of someone for a little defect or blunder is more likely to be done in a friendly manner. Anyone who is making fun of physical traits you can’t change and are likely insecure about, or who is trying to attract attention to something that could make you feel embarrassed.
