Understanding Banter: A Systematic Review of Literature to Conceptualize the Behaviors That Characterize Banter.

Banter represents an interaction practice that is typical of many close social relationships with behaviors often ambiguous in nature and maybe aggressive. This review summarizes and synthesizes the literature on offline and online banter published between 2000 and 2022 to examine: (a) the behavioral and situational factors that characterize banter, (b) the distinction between banter and aggressive behaviors, (c) how intent influences how banter behaviors are interpreted, and (d) gender and age differences in the conceptualization of banter. The literature search took place in January 2023 and after removing duplicates, 7524 articles were initially reviewed and subsequently 47 articles were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The analysis indicated that banter is characterized as involving the reciprocal exchange of insults or jokes between friends that is intended to be fun. The positive banter experience framework provides a theoretical basis to explore banter and guidance to ensure that banter remains a positive experience for all.