Self-deprecation is the act of reprimanding oneself by belittling, undervaluing, disparaging oneself, or being excessively modest.Self-Deprecation - Personality & Spirituality
/ref> It can be used as a way to make complaints, express modesty, invoke optimal reactions or add humour. It may also be used as a way for individuals to appear more likable and agreeable. Self-deprecation often reflects low self-esteem and is associated with depression and

anxiety Anxiety is an emotion which is characterized by an unpleasant state of inner turmoil and includes feelings of dread over anticipated events. Anxiety is different than fear in that the former is defined as the anticipation of a future threat wh ...

and has become increasingly popular on

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

, especially among

Gen Z Generation Z (or more commonly Gen Z for short), colloquially known as zoomers, is the Western demographic cohort succeeding Millennials and preceding Generation Alpha. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1990s as starting birt ...

. ’Self-deprecation’ is more properly ‘self-depreciation’, since the former (from Latin ''precari'' prayer) means ‘to pray against oneself’ and the latter (from Latin ''precium'' value) means to devalue oneself.

Purposes

Self-defense

Self-deprecation was recommended by philosophers of

Stoicism Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded by Zeno of Citium in Athens in the early 3rd century Common Era, BCE. It is a philosophy of personal virtue ethics informed by its system of logic and its views on the natural world, asser ...

as a response to insults. Instead of getting defensive, people should join in by insulting themselves even more. According to the Stoics, this will remove the sting from the insult. It will also disappoint the interlocutor because the person failed to show upset in response to words that were supposed to hurt them, thereby reducing the chance that they will try to upset the person like that again. People prefer self-criticism over being criticized by others. However, researchers believe it can have an overall negative effect on users. It can result in them feeling that they don't deserve praise and undermining their own authority.

Likability

Engaging in self deprecation allows individuals to appear more likable by showing off their flaws and deflecting praise. People tend to have more negative impressions of individuals who seem boastful and who talk positively about themselves. They are often perceived as arrogant, but this doesn't occur when one describes themselves in a negative way. A person might self-deprecate after achieving something in fear of their accomplishment threatening the self-concept of others. People with higher statuses (i.e., is wealthy, has many accomplishments, are physically attractive) are perceived more positively if they self-deprecate by highlighting their own personal flaws and downplay their successes.

Politeness

In traditional British-English culture, self-deprecation is considered to be an element of

modesty Modesty, sometimes known as demureness, is a mode of dress and deportment which intends to avoid the encouraging of sexual attraction in others. The word "modesty" comes from the Latin word ''wikt:modestus, modestus'' which means "keeping within ...

. Modesty is considered a

virtue Virtue ( la, virtus) is moral excellence. A virtue is a trait or quality that is deemed to be morally good and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. In other words, it is a behavior that shows high moral standard ...

, often contrasted to the

North American North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Ca ...

demonstration of

self-confidence Confidence is a state of being clear-headed either that a hypothesis or prediction is correct or that a chosen course of action is the best or most effective. Confidence comes from a Latin word 'fidere' which means "to trust"; therefore, having ...

, often taken for

boasting Boasting or bragging is speaking with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about one's achievements, possessions, or abilities. Boasting occurs when someone feels a sense of satisfaction or when someone feels that whatever occurred proves thei ...

. This is characteristic such as in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, where " blowing one's own trumpet" is frowned upon. In stereotypical English behavior, belittling themselves means appearing polite by putting someone else first.

Comedy

Self-deprecation is seen as a major component of the comedy of many North American comedians such as

Rodney Dangerfield Rodney Dangerfield (born Jacob Rodney Cohen; November 22, 1921 – October 5, 2004) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He was known for his self-deprecating one-liner humor, his catchphrase "I don't get no resp ...

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

Nathan Fielder Nathan Joseph Fielder (born May 12, 1983) is a Canadian comedian, actor, writer, director, producer, and entrepreneur. He is best known for co-creating, directing, and starring in the Comedy Central parody reality show '' Nathan for You'' (2013� ...

, Don Knotts,

Joan Rivers Joan Alexandra Molinsky (June 8, 1933 – September 4, 2014), known professionally as Joan Rivers, was an American comedian, actress, producer, writer and television host. She was noted for her blunt, often controversial comedic persona—heavi ...

, etc.

In social media

Since the rise of social media, self-deprecating humor has become increasingly popular on certain

platforms such as

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

and

TikTok TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version ...

, especially among

. This phenomenon can also be observed among millennials who find satisfaction in self-humiliation. Self-deprecating jokes typically revolve about feeling dead inside, having a mental illness or about people blaming themselves for anything bad that happens in their life. These posts tend to be more popular because it allows users to not feel alone in not being able to live a perfect life. According to the American Psychological Association, 91% of Gen Z between ages 18-21 in the last month have experienced at least one physical or emotional symptom due to stress. This statistic is the highest rate ever recorded, demonstrating the increase of mental health issues that Gen Z experiences. In return, users turn to self-deprecating

memes A meme ( ) is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural i ...

on social media to cope. Social media can be public yet personal and has norms most users follow to avoid being criticized. These types of self-deprecating jokes can let people feel free from the pressure of needing to appear perfect. It lets users display their less-desirable traits or habits while preventing feelings of embarrassment. Boasting on social media, just like in real life, is often perceived negatively and is another reason why users gravitate towards self-deprecation to appear more likable. People also tend to like a person more if positive information about them is presented by a third party rather than from themselves, even if it is the same information. Furthermore, using self-deprecating hash tags allows individuals to be perceived as less arrogant and more humorous.

References

{{Reflist, 30em Humour Conformity Ego psychology