Derived from the Greek word “to tear flesh, bite the lips in rage,
sneer,” it’s no surprise that sarcasm or the “use of words that mean the
opposite of what you really want to say” is often presented as dark
comic relief. Think Dennis Leary, Bill Maher, Tina Fey. Delivered
late-night and enjoyed while sitting back with a drink in hand, we often
can’t help but laugh at the quips delivered, the unexpected turn of
words, and the mocking of the ignorant and ridiculous.
Beyond
the cutting edge of sarcasm, however, lies a bright spot. It may
actually promote creativity and serve as an indicator of intelligence.
While
sarcasm has long been associated with higher-level cognitive thinking,
science is just now giving it proper recognition and consideration. One study
illustrated the complexity of processing sarcasm using a simple
storytelling task. Scientists recruited 17 healthy volunteers and 41
additional subjects suffering from mild brain damage following an
illness or accident. Participants listened to 8 prerecorded stories,
each one presented twice. One version included a character making a
sarcastic comment and the other did not. Researchers then assessed
whether participants could identify the sarcasm when present.
Results
were striking. The 25 participants with damage to the prefrontal cortex
— which is responsible for a variety of complex behaviors including
planning, decision-making, and personality expression — did not process
the sarcastic remarks as quickly as the others. This study was in line
with others showing the need for critical thinking functions, or what
some term “mental gymnastics,” in processing sarcasm.
Simply put, sarcasm requires complex thinking.
This work was followed up later by another project
that encompassed 4 different studies. In each, participants were
randomly assigned to one of three conditions: sarcastic, sincere, or
neutral. Then, as part of a simulated conversation, they either
expressed something sarcastically or sincerely, received a sarcastic or
sincere reply, or remained neutral in their exchange. These exchanges
were then followed up with an assessment designed to measure creativity.
Interestingly,
several findings emerged. First, expressing and receiving sarcasm was
associated with enhanced creativity. Second, the conflict between the
people involved was only increased if the other person in the exchange
was not a trusted other — so sarcasm between friends may benefit
creativity without raising conflict. Finally, sarcasm worked to enhance
creativity through its effects on abstract thinking on both the speaker and the listener.
So, that sarcastic remark your friend just uttered? Both you and your friend are getting a cognitive boost from it.
How
does this work exactly? It’s believed that the left hemisphere of our
brain decodes the literal meaning of a phrase while the right uncovers
the implied meaning. That prefrontal cortex mentioned earlier then
connects the two, which is why those with an injury to the prefrontal
cortex described in the first study presented had such trouble “getting”
the sarcasm.
As the authors of this last study stated in The Harvard Gazette,
““Not only did we demonstrate the causal effect of expressing sarcasm
on creativity… we also demonstrated, for the first time, the cognitive
benefit sarcasm recipients could reap.”
This benefit makes sense
given that to either create or decode a sarcastic remark, your brain
needs to reconcile the contradiction between the literal meaning of the
words and the meaning that the speaker intends. This contradiction is
one reason why language-processing systems have such difficulty picking
up sarcasm in social media (although some
are getting close). It’s hard to recognize and takes work. Abstract
thinking facilitates this process, which in turn results in increased
creative thought.
However, since there is a “relational cost” of sarcasm in the form of conflict, it’s best among friends.
Sarcasm
is complicated, and research suggests there might be sub-types of it,
some more harsh and others more jocular. Research will continue to
uncover how our brains work to create and process sarcasm, but it’s
looking as if there are some benefits. So next time you’re listening to a
comic dishing out the sarcasm, you can rest assured that your brain is
getting a bit of a workout, and you may just come away a little bit
brighter in the process.
