Humblebrag
Humblebragging is the behavior of boasting under the pretenses of a complaint or modesty. The term was coined by comedian Harris Wittels.
History
[edit]The term humblebrag was first used in 2010 by Harris Wittels as the name of his Twitter account, @Humblebrag, where he would retweet posts he considered to be humblebrags.[1][2] The posts was later developed into a Grantland column.[3] In 2012, he published a book about the concept, Humblebrag: The Art of False Modesty.[1][4] The popularity of the word led the American Dialect Society to proclaim it their most useful Word of the Year for 2011.[5] In 2014, the term was featured in a Jeopardy question.[3]
Examples
[edit]The following comments have been described as humblebrags by those reporting on the phenomenon:
- “Being famous and having a fender bender is weird. You want to be upset but the other drivers just thrilled & giddy that it’s you.” [2]
- "I hate that I look so young; even a 19-year-old hit on me!" [6]
- "Ugh, it's so annoying! I've lost so much weight that none of my clothes fit me anymore!" [7]
- “Why do I always get asked to work on the most important assignment?” [6]
Presentation
[edit]Humblebragging is one method of bragging while avoiding seeming impolite and breaking social rules. Multiple rhetorical techniques have been used in humblebragging, including asking questions, complaining, and presenting information in a seemingly objective way.[8]
Psychological impacts
[edit]Studies on humblebragging suggest that it generally makes worse impression on others than standard bragging.[6][7][8] While humblebragging would appear to make one seem competent and likable, due to its lack of sincerity, it is ineffective and makes one seem both more unlikable and less competent.[9] Wittels claimed that humblebragging "can only serve to make people jealous of the posters and/or hate them".[10][8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 "Harris Wittels, Parks and Rec writer who coined 'humblebrag,' dies at 30". 20 February 2015.
- 1 2 Alford, Henry (30 November 2012). "If I do Humblebrag So Myself". The New York Times.
- 1 2 "Harris Wittels: The man behind #humblebrag". Los Angeles Times. 20 February 2015.
- ↑ Noriega, Margarita (22 May 2015). "Harvard Business School study proves the humblebrag is a useless waste of time". Vox. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
- ↑ Tarpley, Mallary Tenore (2012-01-09). "2011 Word of the Year shows how old words take on new meanings". Poynter. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
- 1 2 3 Ducharme, Jamie (10 January 2018). "Humblebragging Makes People Dislike You, According to Science". Time. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
- 1 2 Plata, Mariana (July 11, 2018). "The Psychology of Humblebragging | Psychology Today". Psychology Today.
- 1 2 3 Zuo, Baiyao (2023). ""I don't mean to humblebrag"—on the reception of humblebrags from a cognitive-pragmatic perspective". Journal of Pragmatics. 218: 165–179. doi:10.1016/j.pragma.2023.10.011.
- ↑ Sezer, Ovul (2017). "Humblebragging: A Distinct—and Ineffective—Self-Presentation Strategy". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 114 (1): 23. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
- ↑ Wittels, Harris (September 25, 2012). Humblebrag: The art of false modesty. New York City: Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 978-1455514182.
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