“I don't mean to humblebrag”—on the reception of humblebrags from a cognitive-pragmatic perspective

Some empirical studies have argued that humblebragging is ineffective as a self-praising strategy and generates more negative emotion than bragging. Conversely, other case studies have shown that the perception of humblebrags varies in different circumstances. The addressees may also disagree as to whether an expression qualifies as humblebragging or not. Therefore, it is important to investigate the factors affecting how humblebrags are received, that is, how they are perceived and interpreted. This study addresses this issue within Relevance Theory. We propose that the addressees attribute to the humblebraggers not only the transactional intention of bragging but also the affective intention to “make a good impression despite the negative feelings the addressees might have” and “to be insincere with the addressees”. The interpreting process involves three steps: 1) recognizing the transactional intention of bragging; 2) constructing the implicated premises at the emotive level of communication while considering the incongruity between what is inferred and what is explicitly expressed; 3) formulating the implicated conclusions by combining the premises and the situational context. Each step is influenced by an individual’s cognitive environment and would evoke a different emotional reaction from humblebragging. This study’s analysis is supported by data from actual communications.