Do you take things literally even when you understand them?

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My boyfriend's dad has a tendency to say things in funny ways and even if I understand his expressions, they irritate me so I still choose to react literally to them.

For example, he says 'don't worry' all the time, even if no one's worried. I've come to understand he doesn't actually imply that I am worrying, but why say it then? What the hell is he implying then? So each time he says it, it annoys me and the conversation goes like this:

Him: Don't worry!
Me: I'm not worried.
Him: Don't worry, life is simple.
Me: Who said anyone's worrying here?
Me: You can't tell people not to worry if they're not even worried.

Another example is I went to the supermarket the other day and when I came back he said:

Him: Did you win? (I know he means something like "did you get everything you needed" or perhaps it's just a statement "good you got everything you needed" or whatever... but it's such a bizarre way to put it that I purposely answer it literally.)
Me: No, because I didn't enter a competition or anything like that therefore I couldn't have 'won' anything.

Reading language and body language has never really been a problem for me (as far as I know), but I tend to choose to react literally because I fail to understand why some people choose to say things in the way they do. Is this an Aspie thing? Or do I just need to calm down?

Well, taking things literally is generally an Aspie trait, but I'm not sure it is in the way you describe. But I am exactly like that, I comment on how stupid certain phrases or sentences sound when people say them.

No with me I first take it literally and it might take a bit of time for me to realise that it was a joke or something that didn't need to be taken literally. Or sometimes I do get it but in my head I'm still reacting to it literally. It doesn't help that when people say phrases or figures of speech that I visualise it.

Course, it makes for great humour

And you can really winde people up in the process

I find it funny too, but I don't do it very often. I find that it alienates people, and I really do not need to do that. I already alienate people easily enough already.

Also, I miss enough sarcasm that I really don't need to make the situation worse.

I've caught myself doing that when I "know better." I think it's just that I get tired of doing things their way.

Yes, kind of at the same time. One way is to immediately visualize the phrase taken literally and another is like when a former boss used to greet people by saying " what's the good word?". I couldn't help but try to think of a cool word.

Yes I do sometimes if I think the comment is silly.

The 'did you win' one actually took me years to understand and even now I genuinely never know how to respond. The first time I heard it I was working in a shop and someone asked it, I stared and mumbled and must have looked really confused, I had no idea what they were going on about!!

Another one recently was when I was asked if I had 'maxed out'! !! Yes I realise the situations that people use it in but it really anooyed me that the particular paerson said it as it sounded so ridiculous, I failed to respond directly and just kept repeating the question back to them hoping they would realise it was silly (they didn't).

I can't think of any examples like yours above but I knwo that I will sometimes still play on the words especially if the first thing that pops into my head is the literal response.

I usually take things immediately literally, process them, and then choose to either deal with them as what I think they mean or what they literally mean. I usually use the latter to make a joke.

Sometimes I say something before I process and yeah, not as funny.

I do understand metaphors and even use them but I still visualise the literal meaning.
Sometimes I do have to stop and think about whether it's meant literally or not. I hadn't though about "don't worry" being just an expression - I think I look worried to people even when I'm not so I thought they meant it. ':?'

I do understand metaphors and even use them but I still visualise the literal meaning although sometimes I do have to stop and think about whether it's meant literally or not.

I hadn't thought about "don't worry" being just an expression - It seems I look worried to people even when I'm not so I thought they meant it.

I can relate, and I've been known to do that as well. I think it relates to the aversion to slang that some of us have. When it's something that's different from what people normally say, it's irritating and throws me a bit, even if it only takes a second or 2 to understand what they really mean.

I am known to do this with people who use unnecessary innuendo. You know, the ones who delight in twisting everything you say into something sexual? Well, I'll do the reverse back to them and reply as if they meant it literally even though I know full well what they mean. They hate that.